On Thursday, a calvacade of morally superior Hollywood stars issued a video announcing they would now take responsibility for everything from racially-insensitive jokes to police brutality, intoning “I take responsibility.” The video was produced by a leftist group called Campaign Zero, and stars Aaron Paul, Kristen Bell, Sarah Paulson, among others.
In the video, the first few celebrities start the ball rolling by simply intoning “I take responsibility” before others start adding their own personal, heartfelt list of sins including: “for every unchecked moment,” “for every time it was easier to ignore than to call it out for what it was,” “every not-so-funny joke, every unfair stereotype,” “every blatant injustice, no matter how big or small,” ”every time I remained silent,” and “every time I explained away police brutality or turned a blind eye.”
Then, turning to race: “I take responsibility. Black people are being slaughtered in the streets, killed in their own homes. These are our brothers and sisters.” “Our friends. Our family. We are done watching them die. We are no longer bystanders. We will not be idle. Enough is enough.” “I will no longer allow an unchecked moment. I will no longer allow racist, hurtful words, jokes, stereotypes, no matter how big or small, to be uttered in my presence.” “I will not turn a blind eye. Going for a jog should not be a death sentence. Sleeping in your own home should not be a death sentence.” “Playing video games with your nephew should not be a death sentence.” “Shopping in a store should not be a death sentence. Business as usual should not be life-threatening. I stand against hate.”
A series of celebrities repeat, “I stand against hate,” followed by one stating, “I stand against hate in love and will make my presence known.”
Then, turning to the police, Paul says, “And killer cops must be prosecuted. They are murderers. We can turn the tide. It is time to take responsibility. Call out hate. Step up. And take action.”
Stephen Green of PJ Media noted:
Then there’s the website, which if anything is even more starkly pretentious than the video. If you go to ITakeResponsibility.org (don’t), the site demands that you genuflect before the Progressive Gods before being allowed in to gawk at the celebrities.But confessing your sin is not enough.
Next, you must pledge what action you’ll take, and a bunch of Hail Marys is not on the list. You may either promise to “demand for [sic] police accountability,” or “support organizations on the front lines,” or “donate to families afflicted,” or “mobilize voting efforts.” Then, and only then, will you be granted grace enough to go to the organization’s Donate page. Give generously, because “health, safety and resiliency exist without police of any kind.”
The video was widely mocked:
Terrible lack of diversity in this video. https://t.co/TY7zZGVcjd
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) June 11, 2020
Fact: There are more celebrities in this video (12) than there were unarmed black people shot by police in 2019 (9). https://t.co/bSmb3RMUAM
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) June 11, 2020
RACISM SOLVED https://t.co/PxYsiUWoi0
— Annika H Rothstein (@truthandfiction) June 11, 2020
Okay here’s the game. It’s the Cringe Challenge. Watch this celebrity PSA for as long as you can until the cringe overwhelms you and you have to stop because the secondhand embarrassment is too painful. Post your time in the comments. I got 47 seconds.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) June 11, 2020
There should be a game to see how much of this you can sit through. I made it six seconds and was quite impressed with myself. https://t.co/vqS1kQAllZ
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) June 11, 2020
This ritual of self-flagellation is beyond bad comedy. They might as well be walking barefoot in the streets wearing sackcloth and ashes. https://t.co/kCSAIppu2q
— Brother Q. (@andraydomise) June 11, 2020
Comments on the video’s YouTube page were turned off.
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