Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and other comedians defended the jokes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-rock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Rock</a> made about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/will-smith" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith</a> and Jada Pinkett Smith in his latest Netflix comedy special.
Sandler, 56, came to Rock&#8217;s defense during interviews on the red carpet Sunday before receiving the 2023 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://people.com/movies/adam-sandler-reacts-to-chris-rocks-will-and-jada-pinkett-smith-jokes-he-was-real-to-himself/?hid=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;did=8634243-20230321&amp;utm_source=ppl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=people-news_newsletter&amp;utm_content=032123&amp;lctg=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a> magazine reported. He said at no time in his life did he ever feel that Rock went too far with his jokes, including in his latest &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-edits-out-botched-chris-rock-joke-about-will-smith-during-selective-outrage-special" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selective Outrage</a>&#8221; show.
&#8220;I thought he was unbelievably relaxed, funny, thoughtful,&#8221; Sandler said. &#8220;Crushed it and was real to himself.&#8221;
&#8220;And it was as exciting to watch as when the Super Bowl is on,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I thought about it all weekend. &#8216;All right, Rock is doing his thing tonight!&#8217; Saturday, watched it in my kitchen, laughed my ass off, immediately watched it right after. It was one of the best experiences. I thought it was amazing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Adam Sandler defends friend Chris Rock’s ‘never’ too far Will Smith jokes <a href="https://t.co/PnMqd7fG16">https://t.co/PnMqd7fG16</a> <a href="https://t.co/rh0mxfkOby">pic.twitter.com/rh0mxfkOby</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1638221445602975745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Former &#8220;Saturday Night Live&#8221; star Schneider said that Rock &#8220;really does set the bar&#8221; and was just as good as ever.
&#8220;He&#8217;s able to take really complex societal ideas and make them hilarious and bring us on board to some place of sanity, some place of reason,&#8221; said Schneider. &#8220;He&#8217;s so hilariously reasonable. He subverts us to his point of view, and that&#8217;s his genius. And modern comedy changed after Chris Rock, truthfully, 25 years ago.&#8221;
Actor and comedian Dana Carvey went even further in his defense of Rock&#8217;s material.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a million opinions so there&#8217;s kind of no such thing as too far because it&#8217;s called, &#8216;I don&#8217;t like it, me turn off, you know?'&#8221; Carvey said.
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&#8220;If it was government order that you had to watch it then you would be allowed to be offended,&#8221; Carvey added on the red carpet. &#8220;That was just pure unadulterated Chris Rock brilliance, the entire thing. He was on point and that&#8217;s really difficult, what we did, and whether there was real emotion and comedy mixed at the end, that&#8217;s for anyone else to observe but it was quite an achievement.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megyn-kelly-has-one-word-response-to-learning-will-smith-was-hurt-and-embarrassed-after-chris-rock-special">Megyn Kelly Has One-Word Response To Learning Will Smith Was &#8216;Hurt&#8217; And &#8216;Embarrassed&#8217; After Chris Rock Special</a>

2013 MTV Movie Awards – Show

Comedians Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider And More Defend Chris Rock’s Will Smith Jokes

Adam Sandler

Cancel Culture

Celebrities

Chris Rock

Comedy

Jada Pinkett Smith

Netflix

Oscars

U.S.

Will Smith

He stalked the stage like a panther. An animal, a predator. And he went there. Oh man did he go there.
Every time I think Dave Chappelle is the best, Chris Rock comes along and knocks him off the top perch. On Saturday night, Rock held court on a Baltimore stage in the first-ever live Netflix comedy special.
The special&#8217;s title: &#8220;Selective Outrage.&#8221;
On abortion: &#8220;If you need to pay for your own abortion, you need to get an abortion.&#8221;
On woke culture: &#8220;Right now we live in a world where the emergency room is filled up with motherf***ers with paper cuts.&#8221;
On Meghan Markle: &#8220;It’s the royal family. They’re the original racists. They invented colonialism. They are the OG’s of racism.&#8221;
But everyone was waiting for him to address &#8220;the slap heard &#8217;round the world.&#8221; Actor Will Smith slapped Rock nearly a year ago on the Oscars stage, and Rock has spoken about the incident only sparingly.
Not Saturday night. You&#8217;ll have to watch the special to get the real flavor, but here&#8217;s the cleaned-up version.
&#8220;Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s***. I didn’t have any entanglements,” Rock said.
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&#8220;Now I normally wouldn’t talk about this s***. But for some reason these n***** put that s*** on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f***** low down. What the f***?” he said.
&#8220;We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here has been cheated on. None of us have been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television, like, &#8216;Hey I was sucking somebody else’s d***, how did that make you feel?&#8217; Why the f*** would you do that s***?”
Of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Rock said: &#8220;Nobody&#8217;s picking on this b****, she started it. Nobody was picking on her. And then this n**** gives me a f*** concussion, OK. What the f***, man?&#8221;
Why did Rock just stand there and take the slap? He addressed that, too.
&#8220;A lot of people are like, &#8216;Chris why didn’t you do nothing back?&#8217; Because I got parents that’s why, because I was raised. And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.&#8221;
With that, he dropped the mic and walked off. Next to him was a very &#8212; very &#8212; large bodyguard. In this world of selective outrage, even comedians now need protection.
The show got off to a fiery start. Just 30 seconds in, as Rock said, &#8220;I&#8217;m gonna&#8217; try to do a show without offending anyone,&#8221; someone in the crowd was shouting something. Rock right away showed who was in charge: &#8220;N**** sit down!&#8221;
The heckler was never heard from again.
Rock is among the top social commentators of our time &#8212; think a modern-day Mark Twain. Remember, this is the man who did &#8220;N***** Vs. Black People&#8221; back in 1997, saying the former glorify ignorance and laziness and brag about fulfilling even the most minute responsibility.
On Saturday, the 58-year-old comedian got right to the issue of the day, unworried about being canceled. He opened by taking shots at people who get “triggered” and believe that “words hurt.”
&#8220;You never know who might get triggered. You say the wrong thing, motherf***ers get scared. You know what people say, &#8216;Words hurt.&#8217; Anybody that says that words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said. “Words hurt &#8212; when you write them on a brick.”
And Rock delivered some advice. &#8220;Don’t fall into the woke trap at all.&#8221; He said he supports equal rights for all people and social justice.
&#8220;The thing I have a problem with is the selective outrage. One person does something, they get canceled. Somebody does the exact same thing, nothing.&#8221;
That phenomenon Rock dubbed &#8220;selective outrage.&#8221;
Just a couple days after Hershey&#8217;s released a candy bar on International Women&#8217;s Day that featured a transgender &#8212; the wrapper said &#8220;HerShe&#8221; &#8212; Rock took aim at all the woke businesses out there, trying to pitch their social awareness to sell more product.
&#8220;&#8216;We like to give back. We don&#8217;t even like the money. We like to give back.&#8217; I was in the mall the other day, I went by the store Lululemon, I walk by and in the window of every Lululemon there’s a sign that says, ‘We don’t support racism, sexism, discrimination, or hate,&#8217;” he said. “And I’m like, ‘who gives a f&#8212;?’ You’re just selling yoga pants. I don’t need your yoga pants politics. Tell me how you work on b&#8212; sweat.&#8221;
Rock later hit an easy target &#8212; the royal family. He shredded Meghan Markle, who is half black, for playing the victim. She claimed on a show with Oprah Winfrey that members of the royal family questioned how black a baby would be with her ultra-white husband, Prince Harry.
&#8220;&#8216;Oprah, they’re so racist they wanted to know how brown the baby was going to be,'&#8221; Rock said, playing Markle. &#8220;I’m like, ‘That’s not racist, because even black people want to know how brown the baby going to be. S***, we check behind the ears. That’s a scientific test because you’ve got to know what kind of black child you going to get,&#8217;” he said.
&#8220;I know her dilemma: black girl trying to be accepted by her white in-laws. Oh, it’s hard. It’s so hard, it’s very hard – but it ain’t as hard as a white girl trying to be accepted by her black in-laws. Now that s*** is really hard,” he said. &#8220;I’m like, ‘If you black and you wanted to be accepted by your white in-laws then you need to marry a Kardashian because they accept everybody.'&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

TOPSHOT-US-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-OSCARS-SHOW

Be Happy You’re Alive In The Age Of Chris Rock, The Modern-Day Mark Twain

Be Happy You're Alive In The Age Of Chris Rock, The Modern-Day Mark Twain

Meghan Markle

Woke Culture

Many on both sides of the political aisle have spent the last week calling for embattled CNN host Don Lemon&#8217;s head on a platter — or at least his job — but Fox News&#8217; Tammy Bruce isn&#8217;t quite ready to demand that he be fired.
Bruce published an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/cnn-shouldnt-cancel-don-lemon-being-jerk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion column</a> on the Fox News website on Wednesday, and she argued that however &#8220;blatantly sexist&#8221; and &#8220;infuriating&#8221; Lemon&#8217;s comments had been, demanding his ouster would only feed the cancel culture monster.
Lemon, 56 — whose Presidents&#8217; Day vacation sparked rumors that he had been benched by the network — <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/were-just-getting-started-janice-dean-blows-up-don-lemon-over-sexist-dig-at-nikki-haley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incurred the wrath</a> of women everywhere when he claimed that former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), 51, was no longer &#8220;in her prime.&#8221;
He faced <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/don-lemons-sexist-slam-of-nikki-haley-draws-sharp-rebuke-from-cnn-co-host/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">immediate pushback</a> from his two female co-hosts — Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins — and as video clips of the exchange quickly went viral, many began to suggest that CNN should cut the embattled anchor loose.
But Bruce said otherwise, explaining, &#8220;It was and is infuriating, and almost immediately the cancel culture mob had formed. As someone who has worked most of her adult life advocating for women, I agree that pushing back on bigotry like this that demeans women is a must. However, demanding that Lemon lose his job goes too far. Firing him would normalize the expectation that someone will be professionally and personally annihilated for a dumb comment, backward attitude, or unapproved opinion.&#8221;
Bruce went on to say that demanding Lemon&#8217;s ouster would only serve to further the growth of cancel culture — the need to purge all who have ever made a wrong move or had a wrong thought from the public discourse, often destroying their lives in the process.
&#8220;Courtesy of bloodthirsty Marxists disguised as American liberals, the scourge of cancel culture has been charging through Western civilization like a monster truck speeding through the Mojave Desert, with piles of hapless victims smashing against the windshield at record pace,&#8221; Bruce commented — and she added that the conservative position would be to allow CNN to handle its own.
&#8220;Lemon’s latest foot-in-mouth episode presents a perfect opportunity to stand against his presumed annihilation and be consistent with our rejection of the left’s attempt to train us all into becoming cancel culture assassins,&#8221; she said.
CNN CEO Chris Licht&#8217;s approach — to offer &#8220;<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-will-be-back-on-cnn-after-class-on-not-making-sexist-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formal training</a>&#8221; to Lemon and give him the opportunity to learn from his mistake — Bruce said was actually &#8220;a perfect example of how to proceed without bending to the mob that wants someone stoned to death because they expressed wrongthink.&#8221;

Secretary Of Commerce Wilbur Ross Visits “Lou Dobbs Tonight”

Conservative Woman Says Don’t Rush To Axe Embattled CNN Host Don Lemon – Here’s Why

Fox News' Tammy Bruce Says Don't Rush To Axe Embattled CNN Host Don Lemon – Here's Why

Don Lemon

Fox News

Media

The Left and the Devil each want you to believe the same three lies: Your past defines you, your mistakes are permanent, and you are incapable of doing good ever again.
None of those statements are true. We need to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-93-conservatives-are-wrong-rihanna-s-performance-was-great-and-ramaswamy-is-better-than-de-santis-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">address these falsehoods</a> head-on — both as conservatives and followers of God — because they are dominating our society and causing social dysfunction in leaps and bounds.
So why do progressives and Lucifer spread such evil? The simple answer is both parties involved want you to despair.
The Left wants you to feel demoralized so they can amass political power. The Devil wants you to feel hopeless so he can keep you away from God forever. 
Of course, the Devil and progressives get you to that point of dejection in different ways. The Left does it after you err whereas the Devil partakes before, during, and after you sin.
For the purposes of this column, let us focus on Satan’s trickery first.
The Devil plays an active role in getting you to sin — separating yourself from God — and berates you afterward. He’s very good at it, and it’s part of the human condition. He does it through deception — which is the Modus Operandi for everything he does. He is the father of lies, after all.
He uses a simple strategy to achieve those ends. As explained by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuCw8UT5y6c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen</a>, “Before the sin, Satan assures us that it is of no consequence; after the sin, he persuades us that it is unforgivable.”
Or, as explained another way, also by Venerable Sheen, the Devil tricks us into believing he is “on our side before we sin.” He lies and says Christ is “our accuser.” But then, afterward, the roles are reversed, and “Christ becomes the defender and the Devil the accuser.”
Yet prior to falling away from God’s will, the Devil convinces you that you&#8217;re making the right choice, you deserve whatever it is you are about to do, and he offers rationalizations for your action.
Then you sin, feel guilty, and are looking for answers. The Devil now has a different lie for you.
Afterward, he pelts you with thoughts that you have gone down a dark path and can never return. Salvation is out of reach — so you might as well keep sinning or take drastic action to avoid the misery you find yourself in, his twisted argument goes.
That is not true, but millions — if not billions of people — every single day think God will never love them again or that they cannot escape who they have become.
Judas — Jesus’ betrayer — certainly believed that message. It drove him to suicide after he helped hand Jesus over for his trial.
And what do we see today? Suicide rates are rising while hopelessness is increasing. Many people believe their mistakes are everlasting — and the only way to escape their sadness is to end it all. 
Which brings this column to the lies of the Left. Progressives also want you to believe that your past poor decisions are your true worth. 
In an age where anything you said years ago can be pulled up and used against you, it is daunting to believe that you&#8217;ve put your past behind you — even if you have matured and had a change of heart. 
So the Left, knowing full well that in order to win they must censor opposing viewpoints, will dig up whatever they can and use it as ammo. We all know the script: Somebody finds success in life, but when they were a teenager they said or posted something inappropriate, even slightly racist — and suddenly the woke mob is out for blood.
It doesn’t matter what somebody says or does today — there is no room for personal growth for the Left. The Left, like the Devil, wants you to believe the only way you can show your virtue is to either stay away from politics altogether or to march with them in lockstep agreement.
That idea creeps across the political spectrum as well. Personally, I have been told that I am a grifter because I used to have liberal views and have since changed my mind on topics from when I was 17.
To that I ask: I’m not allowed to learn the error of my ways and make a concrete change in my life? Will who I was more than a decade ago dictate who I will always be? 
Nonsense. 
If you’re reading this, you must know that you can wake up and make firm amends to become a better person. 
You could have sinned for 10 years straight and said awful things on the internet, but you are allowed to change. There is no permanence. You are not stuck with wickedness. You are not stuck in spiritual or personal rot. You are allowed to strive to be better every single day. 
You have worth, and you can become a positive force for good — no matter what the Left or the Devil say.

Candace_416x9 copy 22 (4)

The Left And The Devil Tell You Lies So You Will Despair

Bible

Candace Owens

Catholicism

Leftists

Progressivism

Readers Pass

Great American Family actress Candace Cameron Bure made it clear that she&#8217;s not going to let cancel culture influence her choices, saying that while she realized facing backlash for her personal views could be &#8220;difficult,&#8221; it was nothing compared to what Christians faced in other countries.
<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/candace-cameron-bure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bure</a> joined Wednesday&#8217;s episode of the &#8220;<a href="https://thejuliasadlershowpodcast.libsyn.com/candace-cameron-bure-on-full-house-her-faith-journey-being-a-christian-in-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Unapologetic with Julia Jeffress Sadler</a>&#8221; podcast, and she addressed the fact that critics routinely attack her for voicing her conservative Christian views — particularly in the film business.
&#8220;Cancel culture is real, and it’s difficult, and it’s hard,&#8221; she said, but she immediately pivoted to point out the fact that people outside the United States faced a much more difficult situation if they wanted to preach the Gospel.
&#8220;I know there’s all the places in the world, all different countries, where people get severely persecuted for their faith. I feel like we’ve had this cushion here in North America where someone yells at us or someone says a mean, negative thing and our feelings get so hurt over it,&#8221; she said, adding, &#8220;And that isn’t nearly the persecution that other people go through from being a Christian in other countries.&#8221;
Bure went on to say that she did not intend to allow critics to change her, arguing that it was even more important for Christians to stand up and stand firm in their beliefs when they were faced with backlash.
&#8220;It’s hard, no matter what. Especially when you are a compassionate person and you have a heart for people. But it’s important that we speak truth in love, ’cause, listen, nobody’s gonna change, nobody’s gonna listen to you when it comes out angry, when it comes out in a harsh way, but it’s important that we don’t back down,&#8221; she explained.
After Bure&#8217;s abrupt exit from the Hallmark Channel — which she attributed to a change in leadership and a shift away from faith-based stories that focused on traditional values and marriages — she faced a wave of backlash accusing her of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/hallmarks-self-described-king-of-gay-christmas-wont-comment-on-candace-cameron-bures-marriage-remarks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bigotry</a> and of <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/make-your-money-honey-one-tree-hill-actress-slams-candace-cameron-bure-over-marriage-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">selling out</a>.
Bure <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/my-choice-is-clear-great-american-family-actor-exits-stage-left-over-candace-cameron-bure-marriage-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> by saying that she loved everyone — even those who hated everything she stood for – and confirming that she would stand in her faith despite their attacks.
LISTEN:
<iframe loading="lazy" style="border: none;" title="Libsyn Player" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/25853328/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/000000/" width="100%" height="90" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Celebrities Visit Hallmark Channel’s “Home & Family”

‘It’s Hard No Matter What’: Candace Cameron Bure Says Cancel Culture Can’t Force Her To Back Down

Candace Cameron Bure Says Cancel Culture Can't Force Her To Back Down

Candace Cameron Bure

Hallmark

Marriage

Readers of The Daily Wire will be pleased to learn that not every university professor supports suppressing the speech of those who challenge political orthodoxy on campus. A letter from some of our colleagues at Arizona State University, addressed to one of the college deans, has widely circulated internally in recent days, condemning an upcoming campus event on February 8 featuring Dennis Prager with additional remarks from Charlie Kirk. We emphatically disagree with the sentiments contained in that letter.
One of the many things that distinguishes ASU from other top universities is our administration’s embrace of intellectual diversity. ASU President Michael Crow has been especially vocal on this issue, <a href="https://president.asu.edu/statements/statement-from-asu-president-michael-m-crow-on-free-speech-civil-discourse-and-student" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urging</a> that “we can and should learn from perspectives different from our own.” In 2018, under President Crow’s leadership, ASU <a href="https://provost.asu.edu/adoption-chicago-statement-freedom-expression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">formally adopted</a> the Chicago Statement of Freedom of Expression, which states that “it is not the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.” “[W]ithout a vibrant commitment to free and open inquiry,” the statement concludes, “a university ceases to be a university.”
President Crow’s commitment to intellectual diversity at ASU has been longstanding, including last year’s establishment of the Center for American Institutions, whose mission is fostering and renewing the nation’s political, economic, and social institutions, including religion and the family. Our speaker series in 2023 includes Katie Pavlich, Matt Walsh, Rosalind Ross (writer and director of &#8220;Father Stu&#8221;), Dr. Peter McCullough, Thomas Edsall, and Kimberley Strassel. Last year, we hosted Douglas Murray, James A. Lindsay, and Bret Weinstein.
Moreover, six years ago, President Crow launched the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, which allowed for the appointment of faculty committed to a curriculum focused on the founding principles of American democracy and constitutionalism. He supported also the establishment of the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development, which is hosting the event now in question.
Though some ASU faculty have objected to these programs, students and Arizonans welcome hearing diverse views at a public university supported by their tuition fees and tax dollars. University students should rigorously and openly examine a variety of viewpoints. Yet <a href="https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/partisan-registration-and-contributions-of-faculty-in-flagship-colleges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> after <a href="https://econjwatch.org/File+download/944/LangbertQuainKleinSept2016.pdf?mimetype=pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> shows that the political and ideological affiliation of faculty nationwide does not bear even a close resemblance to those of the American public writ large. 
Faculty letters like the one condemning Dennis Prager and Charlie Kirk reinforce campus conformity and function as a not-so-subtle way to intimidate and silence would-be dissenters among the faculty and student body. Many choose to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/opinion/campus-speech-cancel-culture.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-censor</a> out of fear of ostracization and even retribution. This is extraordinarily destructive to the free and open exchange of ideas.
The letter wildly describes Prager and Kirk as “two white nationalist provocateurs.” “Dennis Prager and Charlie Kirk are purveyors of hate who have publicly attacked women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, as well as the institutions of our democracy, including our public institutions of higher education,” the letter reads. “By platforming and legitimating their extreme anti-intellectual and anti-democratic views, [the college] will not be furthering the cause of democratic exchange at ASU, but undermining it in ways that could further marginalize the most vulnerable members of our community.”
In addition, while the letter states that students should “encounter a broad diversity of voices and viewpoints,” it is clear that among the ideas that are not to be tolerated are many mainline conservative or centrist viewpoints, including opinions supported by a majority of Americans.
The letter implies that any of the following views would render one unfit for speaking at a university:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dissenting from radical gender ideology</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Questioning the official lockdown narrative during COVID</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Questioning the soundness and efficacy of Big Pharma research and shots</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Thinking that a mother and father in the home is ideal for a child</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Encouraging young people to get married and have children</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Objecting to the methods and solutions of the BLM organization</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Questioning the hyper-racialist ideology of “anti-racism”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Questioning the handling of particular elections (unless the wrong candidate wins, then it’s ok)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Objecting to the exploitation and sacralization of January 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Challenging the presumption that in order to be happy and successful you MUST go to college</li>
</ul>
Such views, according to the letter, are “bigoted,” “anti-intellectual,” and “extreme.” The irony, of course, is that the most anti-intellectual position one could take is to demand a captive mind and universal conformity to a rigid and suffocating set of dogmatic precepts, and then to throw a fit if someone dare utter a contrary view. One need not agree with all or most of what Prager and Kirk believe in order to defend their opportunity to speak at a public institution and the opportunity of others to hear what they have to say.
“If liberty means anything at all,” said George Orwell, “it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
We are proud to research, teach, and serve at a university that champions free speech and open inquiry on campus, and we encourage ASU faculty of all views to publicly affirm their commitment to these cherished principles.
Lastly, a common strategy of anti-intellectuals is to label their opponents as having a phobia rather than dealing with the truth or falsity of their beliefs. Public debate allows both sides to be exposed to the light of reason. Those who oppose having heterodox speakers at ASU should be willing to defend their position in public debate. Professor <a href="https://search.asu.edu/profile/843137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Owen Anderson</a>, philosophy, is putting out an open challenge for public debate about the necessity of a variety of viewpoints and values in the university.
Jonathan Barth is an Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University and Associate Director of the Center for American Institutions. He&#8217;s the author of &#8220;The Currency of Empire: Money and Power in English America in the Seventeenth Century&#8221; (Cornell University Press, 2021). His History of Money lecture series, as well as other educational content, is freely available on <a id="m_6417704316512544768LPNoLPOWALinkPreview" title="https://www.youtube.com/@professorbarth" href="https://www.youtube.com/@professorbarth" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@professorbarth&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1675534614999000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3hn687eVdiR5edP2DQswtE">YouTube</a>.
Donald Critchlow is a Professor of History at Arizona State University and Director of the Center for American Institutions. He&#8217;s the author of twelve books, including &#8220;In Defense of Populism: Protest and American Democracy&#8221; (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2020) and &#8220;Republican Character: From Nixon to Reagan&#8221; (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018).
Owen Anderson is a Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Arizona State University. He has published books with Cambridge University Press about natural law, the American Founding, and the First Amendment. His other books include &#8220;The Clarity of God&#8217;s Existence.&#8221; He pastors the Historic Christian Church of Phoenix, a Reformed Church, and maintains an educational <a id="m_6417704316512544768LPNoLPOWALinkPreview_1" title="https://www.youtube.com/@DrOwenAnderson" href="https://www.youtube.com/@DrOwenAnderson" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@DrOwenAnderson&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1675534614999000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1byxiAWZvu5nbGiEtyJK_6">YouTube</a> channel.

Charlie Kirk, Dennis Prager

Professors Stand Up For Free Speech As Liberal Colleagues Seek Boycott Of Dennis Prager And Charlie Kirk

Professors Stand Up For Free Speech As Liberal Colleagues Seek Boycott of Dennis Prager and Charlie Kirk

Arizona State University

Charlie Kirk

Dennis Prager

Education

Free Speech

Country star John Rich gave fans a sneak peek at a catchy new song he said he&#8217;s working on and it&#8217;s clear from the lyrics that include words like &#8220;offended&#8221; that it&#8217;s dealing with cancel culture.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-rich">49-year-old</a> country music singer posted a clip on Thursday on <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich">Twitter</a> for his hundreds of thousands of followers, showing him sitting at a what looked like a home bar while holding a guitar and playing.
&#8220;Brand new song called &#8216;I&#8217;m Offended!'&#8221; Rich tweeted. &#8220;Whatcha think? #ImOffended&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Brand new song called “I’m Offended!” Whatcha think? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImOffended?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ImOffended</a> ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/catturd2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@catturd2</a>⁩ likes it🤣👍👍 <a href="https://t.co/hjmafsVjEl">pic.twitter.com/hjmafsVjEl</a>
&mdash; John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1620917104768684032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The song opens up with the lyrics, &#8220;Seems like these days, no matter what you say, someone&#8217;s losing their ever loving mind.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s like they&#8217;re looking for a reason to have their fragile feelings hurt,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Every single time.&#8221;
The lyrics of the song go on to note things like &#8220;left and right&#8221; side of the aisle, the battle over using gasoline cars, versus electric vehicles, and people who are still wearing masks three years after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country.
&#8220;I&#8217;m offended. You&#8217;re offended. Let&#8217;s all get offended tonight,&#8221; the chorus of the song goes. &#8220;I&#8217;ll order us a beer, we can sit down here, scream and yell and cuss and fuss and fight.&#8221;
At one point, there&#8217;s a lyric about people trying to &#8220;amend the First Amendment&#8221; because some are offended because of those people who defend &#8220;it all the time.&#8221; Another one that touches on the Second Amendment and those who choose to pray to God.
The conservative country star has spoken out in the past against the lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and has been especially critical of President Joe Biden’s former top medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Most recently, Rich posted on <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1616149207747788818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1616149207747788818%7Ctwgr%5E7145ff3bdcc170bb6d123117216953e8d80cbd95%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fi-never-bent-the-knee-country-star-john-rich-celebrates-pandemic-era-suit-win-against-concert-promoter">Twitter</a> after winning a lawsuit against a concert promoter who sued him during the pandemic after the singer canceled a show at a venue that changed its policy about unvaccinated attendees, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-never-bent-the-knee-country-star-john-rich-celebrates-pandemic-era-suit-win-against-concert-promoter">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
During the lockdowns, I stated I&#39;d NEVER play a concert venue that forced fans to show their &quot;papers&quot; for entry concerning Covid. One venue added that rule after I agreed to play, so I cancelled it. The promoter sued me. He LOST the case today! Happy to say I never bent the knee.
&mdash; John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrich/status/1616149207747788818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;During the lockdowns, I stated I&#8217;d NEVER play a concert venue that forced fans to show their &#8216;papers&#8217; for entry concerning COVID,&#8221; Rich tweeted.
&#8220;One venue added that rule after I agreed to play, so I cancelled it,&#8221; the country star added. &#8220;The promoter sued me. He LOST the case today! Happy to say I never bent the knee.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-rich-posts-patriotic-video-of-concertgoers-singing-after-he-and-country-stars-raise-an-incredible-amount-for-hurricane-victims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Rich Posts Patriotic Video Of Concertgoers Singing After He And Country Stars Raise An Incredible Amount For Hurricane Victims</a>

33rd Annual 99.9 KISS Country Chili Cook-off

John Rich Gives Fans Peek At New Song Battling Cancel Culture

Country Music

COVID-19 Vaccine

Entertainment

John Rich

The battle between good and evil can be likened to a messy food fight. 
God originally created food to foster health, unity, comfort, and goodness. But in the hands of the enemy, it creates the perfect opportunity for Cancel Culture to attack the dinner table and the people around it.
During the riots of 2020, Chick-fil-A was hit with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chick-fil-a-went-woke-earlier-this-year-amid-riots-that-didnt-stop-looters-from-hitting-their-store-in-philadelphia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a wave of protests</a>, even though its employees kindly serve everyone with a “my pleasure.” The owner, Dan Cathy, a Christian, didn’t want to provide financial aid to LGBTQ organizations. His company provided millions of dollars to support the homeless, poor, and hungry. But that’s not enough for Cancel Culture.
These social justice warriors, who supposedly respect diverse experiences and defend freedom of expression, did everything possible to destroy Jack Phillips, a cake decorator in Colorado. A gay couple sued Phillips for not decorating a wedding cake to celebrate their marriage because it went contrary to his Christian understanding of marriage. That gay couple went to great lengths to destroy this man’s livelihood. It took the Supreme Court to finally decide in favor of this man’s conscience and the freedom of religious expression. This group wants to force a Christian to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, but would never ask a vegan to serve a burger.
Proponents of Cancel Culture want to be recognized as agents of high morality and principle, but they are hypocrites. They make demands like spoiled children. But they have more than tears and tantrums; they have powerful politicians, popular celebrities, access to 24 hours of op-ed media posing as news stations, and billions of dollars from powerful industries to cut down anyone who disagrees with them.
The deeper reality is that militant vegans want to impose a moral culinary cult on everyone. They believe eating meat is cruel to animals. According to them, veganism will save the planet — even though the planet existed just fine for millions of years without them.
As a chef, I enjoy eating vegetables, but I am always confused as to why vegans try to mimic the taste of meat. Ethical treatment of animals is a good thing. But at the end of the day, ethical treatment only helps to make a more quality product for slaughtering. Natural food is under attack, and so is the physical and mental health of humanity.
Hypocrisy abounds in Cancel Culture. Its agents vow to be inclusive and all-embracing, but they create havoc to shut down restaurants with Christian owners and bully customers at these establishments because they vote differently. And worst of all, they want to save creation but would gladly kill an unborn child. For them, another mouth to feed would be harmful to women. Yet they cannot actually define a “woman.”
I wish that these examples were far and few between, but Cancel Culture has hit close to home.
A few breweries in Baltimore have decided to bar my food truck from serving food to their patrons. The truck is not woke enough for them because they determined that as a chef and priest, I would impose my theological and moral views on their customers. They want to cancel the truck even though we provide jobs for the formerly incarcerated and disadvantaged communities, while also providing food for the poor.
Cancel Culture wants to control who eats what and when. They believe they have the moral authority to determine if someone goes hungry or feasts like a king. Thankfully, opponents of Cancel Culture are prepared. They can take comfort in the words of St. Teresa of Avila, who said, “When it’s time to fast it’s time to fast. But, when it’s time to feast, it’s time to feast!” In time, the just will receive their reward at the heavenly banquet.
Despite this dismal dietary outlook on what we’re force-fed by Cancel Culture, we have a recipe for hope. The devil used food to destroy us, but Jesus becomes food to save us! We just have to hunger for God and the right things to put into our bodies, minds, and souls. That’s why God became food! 
We will never have the complete victory in this earthly food fight, simply because we have to hunger for the Eternal Banquet in heaven. But, to help us serve and digest the good, beautiful, and true aspects of life, I recommend a few simple ingredients:
<ol>
<li>Eat with your family, regularly. The benefits are scientifically proven. This shared act makes us “companions” — a word that describes sharing bread with others.</li>
<li>Serve those who go without, and consider eating with them. Charity and missionary work makes us value every morsel as a gift from God and recognize that life is a gift.</li>
<li>Celebrate the saints and other feast days with gusto! Go ahead, drink a beer on Saint Patty’s Day, but also say a prayer to cast out the serpentine lies from our lives. Eat a bacon-wrapped lamb chop on Easter, but make sure you’ve fasted and confessed during Lent. Feast (and fasting) days are the remedy to the monotony of life, which the devil wants to make tasteless and boring.</li>
<li>Be sure to discern what you’re putting into your bodies with healthy moderation, but also consider how a healthy mind can make you spiritual sommeliers. Be experts of what you’re consuming — because you are what you eat! Physically and spiritually.</li>
<li>Finally, pray before you eat. Live a life of gratitude and consider how every bite is a connection to God’s creation and the people who had a part in feeding you. Being grateful makes us conscious of the Divine, Who can turn leftovers into a feast for the soul.</li>
</ol>
Cancel Culture’s weaponization of food to divide and destroy will eventually backfire, because its members will eventually cancel themselves. Thankfully, real food lovers will be on hand to nurse them back to sanity and health, one meal at a time — just like Jesus did.
Bon appetit and win the war.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-494012 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-235x300.jpg" alt="" width="235" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-235x300.jpg 235w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-452x576.jpg 452w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-768x979.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-1205x1536.jpg 1205w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-1607x2048.jpg 1607w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/01/DINING-with-the-Saints-Cover-1-scaled.jpg 2009w" sizes="(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px" /></div>
Father Leo Patalinghug is an award-winning chef and author, a widely acclaimed speaker, the founder of the international food and faith movement Plating Grace, and the host of Savoring Our Faith on EWTN. A priest of the Voluntas Dei community, he lives in Baltimore. His new book, coauthored with Michael P. Foley, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dining-Saints-Sinners-Guide-Righteous/dp/1684512476/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dining+with+the+saints&amp;qid=1668792669&amp;sprefix=dining+with+the+sa%2Caps%2C71&amp;sr=8-1">Dining with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Righteous Feast</a> publishes February 28, 2023, from Regnery History.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

ME-PriestChef Photos by Michael Williamson NEG#206333 2/12/09: WE WATCH AS FATHER LEO PATALINGHUG PE

A Spiritual Food Fight: How Cancel Culture Weaponizes Food To Bully The Faithful

Catholic Church

Christianity

Food

Social Issues

Veganism

A popular video hosting platform removed a new documentary told from the perspectives of parents whose children were introduced to radical gender theory.   
The new indie film, &#8220;Dead Name,&#8221; was <a href="https://vimeo.com/784469337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> on Vimeo for just over a month until Monday, when its creators discovered it had been wiped from the video-sharing platform. The documentary follows the stories of three parents who struggled with their children&#8217;s newly announced transgender identity. 
&#8220;We can confirm that Vimeo removed the video in question for violating our Terms of Service prohibiting discriminatory or hateful content,&#8221; a representative of Vimeo responded to the Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment. &#8220;We strive to enforce these policies objectively and consistently across our platform.&#8221;
Vimeo also indicated that the video may have been reported by other users, but was ultimately evaluated by their Trust and Safety team, and was found to be in violation of their terms. The member profile that uploaded the video, Broken Heart Films, was also <a href="https://vimeo.com/user190656908" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erased</a> from their platform. 
Taylor Reece, the film&#8217;s director, called Vimeo&#8217;s decision to deplatform the movie a &#8220;dumb strategy,&#8221; as it had the unintended effect of drawing more attention to it. 
&#8220;Within four hours, &#8216;Dead Name&#8217; was relocated to another <a href="https://www.deadnamedocumentary.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">platform</a> and inadvertently the attempt at &#8216;canceling&#8217; has spiked our sales,&#8221; Reece told the Daily Wire.
She found Vimeo&#8217;s characterization of the film as &#8220;hateful content,&#8221; completely unfounded.
&#8220;The film is the opposite of hate speech,&#8221; Reece said. &#8220;It&#8217;s love speech. In no way do any of these three parents, who tell the story of what it&#8217;s like when their child starts a journey toward transition, spew hate or dogma. Their stories are painstakingly personal, and at times unimaginable.&#8221; 
&#8220;Unfortunately, there are factions out there who do not want this narrative and they have perfected the playbook on getting work like this &#8216;canceled,'&#8221; she added.
The documentary, originally released on December 20, recounts the tales of three heartbroken parents who love their children but have reservations about whether they are truly transgender. 
Helen, who shares custody of a young son with her ex-wife, believes her ex-wife influenced him to adopt a transgender identity. In a shocking clip that opens the <a href="https://youtu.be/jpxDzV3Yr_Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trailer</a> of the documentary, Helen&#8217;s 4-year-old son describes the process of a penile-inversion vaginoplasty. 
&#8220;If you want girls&#8217; parts, and you don&#8217;t have them, you can do special surgery where they turn your penis inside out and there&#8217;s a vagina inside,&#8221; the 4-year-old explained. 
Helen recalled her bewilderment at picking up her son from his daycare one day and finding a female name on the entrance sheet and his cubby, and the over-enthusiastic daycare workers that recognized him as a girl.
&#8220;They would say, &#8216;Helen, you should really learn to accept this and celebrate it,&#8217; and I&#8217;m like, &#8216;Celebrate what? That my child is going to be put on hormones, and his penis will never grow and he&#8217;ll never have a normal sex life, and he&#8217;ll be on drugs for the rest of his life?&#8221; Helen said.
Amy&#8217;s story centers around her 15-year-old daughter, who out of nowhere declared that she was transgender and quickly acquired a prescription for testosterone through a Telehealth meeting with Planned Parenthood.
&#8220;There was no psychological evaluation, there was nothing,&#8221; said Amy. 
Bill, whose son battled cancer that tragically required the amputation of one of his legs, was told by a psychiatrist that he was an &#8220;unsupportive, abusive father&#8221; when he was skeptical of his son&#8217;s rapid transformation into a female identity during his first year in college. He is concerned that cross-sex hormones may have contributed to his untimely death at just 18 years old.
The 50-minute film is now available on a new <a href="https://www.deadnamedocumentary.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, where viewers can rent or purchase it.

movie

Vimeo Removes Documentary On Parents’ Perspectives Of Trans-Identified Children For ‘Hateful Content’

Documentaries

Puberty blockers

Transgender

transgender surgery

United States

Joe Rogan survived his fight with Cancel Culture. Barely. Dave Chappelle did, too, and country superstar Morgan Wallen cobbled his career back together after one errant n-word.
Author J.K. Rowling’s fight with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-a-bloody-mirror-j-k-rowling-points-out-what-real-misogyny-is-in-one-tweet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the authoritarian Left</a>, though, shows no signs of letting up. In fact, it might be intensifying.
The superstar first came under fire in 2020 after comments she shared on social media enraged select trans activists. She questioned the use of the phrase, “people who menstruate” instead of saying, “women.”
Her <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/a-complete-breakdown-of-the-jk-rowling-transgender-comments-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">follow-up explanation</a> generated even more rage.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” she said.
Rowling, a Trump critic and political progressive, suddenly became Cancel Culture fodder despite her proclamation of love for the trans community. The attacks upon her have been relentless ever since. That doesn’t always happen when the woke acolytes are upset. Social justice warriors often move on to newer targets, content to find fresh victims.
Kevin Hart lost the Oscar hosting gig in 2018 for old jokes deemed homophobic, for example, but he hasn’t come under significant fire since then.
That isn’t the case with Rowling, and in a small way she has herself to blame.
Most celebrities self-censor following Cancel Culture broadsides. Others become “allies” for the cause du jour, using their social media perches to push progressive memes and talking points.
They’ve been re-educated, or they simply fear more blowback.
Rowling hasn’t backpedaled an inch. She doesn’t comment on trans issues Twitter on a weekly basis, like director Rob Reiner comments on Trump on a near-daily basis. Still, she often fights back when faced with personal assaults and refuses to apologize for her views.
In November 2021, she shredded trans activists who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/j-k-rowling-speaks-out-after-doxxing-so-many-death-threats-i-could-paper-the-house" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared her home address</a> on social media, acknowledging it put her life in danger given the hate many feel for her. She put the matter into perspective, saying she receives so many death threats she could “paper the house with them.”
“Perhaps – and I’m just throwing this out there – the best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us.”
Bullies usually shrink away when the victim fights back. That’s not the case with Rowling’s detractors. The Cancel Culture forces haven’t forgiven or forgotten. And their pressure campaign continues.
In recent weeks, we’ve learned of a transgender artist who literally removed Rowling’s name from the books which earned her literary immortality — the “Harry Potter” franchise.
Toronto resident Laur Flom <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/01/13/reseller-removes-j-k-rowlings-name-from-harry-potter-books/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removed Rowling’s name</a> not just from the cover of at least 30 “Potter” books, but excised her from the copyright page and titles, too. Flom resells the updated tomes for those triggered by the author’s name.
“The purpose of this project is to create a safe space for fans to find comfort in the books and critically engage with J.K. Rowling’s work,” Flom said.
The simple act of “liking” one of Rowling’s so-called problematic tweets can extend her Cancel Culture fight to new players. A “Star Wars” legend learned that personally. 
Mark Hamill, AKA Luke Skywalker, merely <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/mark-hamill-defends-liking-jk-rowling-tweet-after-liberals-erupt-twitter-no-place-nuance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liked a Rowling tweet</a> clapping back at one of her many detractors.
“I’m more of a woman than JK Rowling will ever be,” a trans woman wrote. “Citation needed,” Rowling shot back, a message Hamill liked.
A Twitter storm engulfed the 71-year-old star, known for his socially progressive views, in short order. The <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkHamill/status/1618012349516115968" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actor quickly apologized</a> with the approved verbiage.
“What I ‘liked’ about this exchange was someone speaking their truth to power. Twitter is, unfortunately, no place for nuance. It&#8217;s imperative I make this abundantly clear: I support human rights for EVERYONE, regardless of their gender identity, PERIOD,” Hamill tweeted.
Rowling often says she has the power, and wealth, to not only speak out but ensure her public safety, to the degree that it’s possible. Others who support her work in any fashion aren’t so fortunate.
Take Kara Lynne, a video game employee who <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/video-game-company-folds-to-trans-activists-online-pressure-campaign-fires-targeted-employee/?bypass_key=R3ZMVjhXNFZiU2ZCK041NHZZV2pqZz09OjpPWEZUT1ZaMFIxUmpaRUowWVRCd2RuSlVjMXB5ZHowOQ%3D%3D%3Futm_source%3Demail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost her job</a> after sharing a modicum of support for a Harry Potter-themed game. She shared her anticipation for the upcoming “Hogwarts Legacy” video game, which has no direct ties to Rowling beyond being set in the Harry Potter universe. That declaration sent woke activists scrambling to find other problematic opinions in her social media feeds.
It worked, as a seven-year-old tweet critical of transgender bathrooms by Lynne “resurfaced.” 
Lynne was soon out of a job.
The mainstream media typically rallies behind celebrity victims, like Meghan Markle. Few outlets have rallied to Rowling’s side over the years. Instead, they often play down the death threats as well as attempts to surgically remove her name from Potter lore.
GamesRadar, for example, shared a Tweet calling Rowling’s words “<a href="https://twitter.com/LeoKearse/status/1618208288293933059/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harmful</a>” to the trans community.
Rowling still has a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/succession-star-brian-cox-defends-j-k-rowlings-trans-stance-again-calls-her-critics-high-and-mighty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">few defenders</a> willing to say as much in the public arena. Actor Brian Cox of “Succession” fame, for example, shared his support for a law allowing trans women to change their names legally. He also derided those who have attacked Rowling for her views, perhaps indirectly referencing “Harry Potter” alums Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. Both have been highly critical of the woman who made them rich and famous.
“I don’t like the way she’s been treated, actually … I think she’s entitled to her opinion; she’s entitled to say what she feels,” Cox said. As a woman, she’s very much entitled to say what she feels about her own body, and there’s nobody better to say that, as a woman.”
Cox is outspoken on many subjects, including his distaste for Cancel Culture. So far, he hasn’t been forced to apologize, a la Hamill, for his views.
If more Rowling defenders do the same, the pressure facing the British author may finally ebb.
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald” UK Premiere – Red Carpet Arrivals

‘It Isn’t Hate To Speak The Truth’: Why J.K. Rowling Remains Woke Public Enemy No. 1

'It Isn’t Hate To Speak The Truth': Why J.K. Rowling Remains Woke Public Enemy No. 1

Hollywood

JK Rowling

Woke celebrities do as they’re told by their cancel culture masters … or else.
The most farcical example? “Saved by the Bell” alum Mario Lopez apologized for suggesting it’s dangerous for <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/31/entertainment/mario-lopez-apology-trnd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3-year-olds to determine their gender</a>.
In other cases, stars virtue signal to increase their employment potential and keep past “problematic” work from suddenly resurfacing.
A few celebrities have seen the folly of the woke revolution. It’s often because they’ve been personally impacted by the new cultural rules, and they can’t help but publicly backpedal.
At least a little.
The most recent example? Pakistani-American comic actor Kumail Nanjiani of “Eternals” fame complained about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/eternals-actor-said-hollywood-wont-cast-non-white-people-as-bad-guys-despite-his-desire-to-play-a-villain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not being able to snag a ripe role</a> as a film or TV show villain. The bad guys are often the most interesting roles to play.
Why? Hollywood isn’t interested in making people of color <a href="https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/tv/a42430017/kumail-nanjiani-interview-chippendales/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the bad guy or gal</a> these days. He sounds envious of fellow MCU star Sebastian Stan, whose versatile career includes playing the quasi-heroic Winter Soldier as well as the villain in horror movies like “Fresh.”
<blockquote>He does these big Marvel movies, and then he’ll play a psychopath. I was told that’s going to be hard because people don’t want to cast non-white people as bad guys.</blockquote>
Nanjiani sees the problem, but he can’t connect the critical dots. Identity politics run wild means actors can no longer act as they did before. Female directors must helm female superhero films. Straight actors shouldn’t play gay characters. And casting a person of color as the villain could be seen as stigmatizing, if not racist.
He’s not the only progressive star who has seen the dark side of the current woke wave.
Jim Gaffigan suffered a bout of Trump Derangement Syndrome in recent years, pushing his formerly apolitical act to the Left. He’s even worse on Twitter, sadly, sounding like a bad MSNBC parody.
He’s also shifted his career to more acting gigs, and he’s acquitted himself well in films like “Chappaquiddick” and “Being Frank.” The latter 2018 film, alas, got him caught up in the woke community’s web.
The movie follows a father (Gaffigan) who secretly serves as the patriarch for not one but two families. Some of the film’s reviews weren’t kind, but not for the usual reasons.
<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jim-gaffigan-woke-film-critics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He shared his concerns</a> on “The Joe Rogan Experience” shortly after the film’s release.
<blockquote>A lot of the reviews … there was a tone of like, ‘how dare this white male [laughs] have two families. They couldn’t get beyond … they would insert, like, a social commentary onto a platform that was not for that. … Some reviews were like, ‘they under-served them!’ You know, the movie was really about my character and his son. … Because of the day we live in, it had to be deciphered through this kind of social critique that is just absurd. And it wasn’t here and there. It was a lot of reviews like that.</blockquote>
Far-Left comic Sarah Silverman once sang the praises of the woke revolution. Let the young social justice <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/sarah-silverman-comedians-college-kids-tiff-2015" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warriors teach us how to live our lives</a>, she said.
That was in 2015.
She later said that she lost a coveted movie role because someone objected to a 2007 episode of “The Sarah Silverman Program” in which she donned blackface. The story actually spoke out strongly against racism, but Silverman’s choice of makeup, and the way she attacked the issue, effectively canceled her for the film in question.
After that confession, the liberal comic’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/aug/12/sarah-silverman-fired-from-film-blackface-photo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attitude toward woke shifted</a>. Witness this 2020 rant from her podcast:
<blockquote>If we don&#8217;t give these people a path to redemption, then they&#8217;re going to go where they are accepted, which is the mother****ing dark side.</blockquote>
Silverman hasn’t modulated her progressive politics, but she sees the woke revolution in a far less flattering light than before.
Comic actor Aziz Ansari’s stage shtick often mocked white culture, aligning neatly with the woke mindset suggesting it’s acceptable to target that demographic. His career briefly flatlined after a 2018 blog-style expose written by a 23-year-old woman who accused the &#8220;Parks and Recreation&#8221; star of behaving aggressively during a sexual situation.
It was a “she said, he said” case, except the #MeToo Movement demanded her accusations be taken at face value without him offering a vigorous defense. 
His career briefly crumbled as a result. Ansari slowly crept back into the limelight, treading carefully when the subject of the date in question came up. He uses his stand-up routine to mock white people, still, but it’s often to taunt them for their performative wokeness.
Not all stars follow this pattern. Tina Fey, one of the funnier comic minds of the 21st century, once told jokes with abandon. Her “30 Rock” NBC showcase mocked the Left and the Right, and it came of age right before woke took over.
So when she got hammered by the far Left over jokes on her Netflix comedy “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Fey didn’t back down.
She said she makes it a policy <a href="https://www.phillymag.com/things-to-do/2015/12/21/tina-fey-jokes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not to explain jokes</a>. That was 2016. She later realized she might get in trouble for sticking to that core belief, and she had a <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/features/tina-fey-mean-girls-movie-snl-1234967386/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dramatic change of heart</a>.
“Everyone’s figuring out what the new rules of comedy are. They definitely have changed for the better.”
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
This article has been updated for clarity.

Kumail Nanjiani In Conversation With Josh Horowitz

When Woke Hollywood Sees The Light: Celebrities Begin To Ask Questions After Run In With Cancel Mob

Aziz Ansari

Sarah Silverman

Tina Fey

Cancel culture’s impact on Hollywood can’t be over-stated. 
The woke revolution made fun, frothy awards shows into grim lectures on inequality, racism, and the dastardly GOP politician du jour.
The mainstream movie comedy is on the endangered species list, degraded by rules that don’t allow for ribald, R-rated shenanigans.
TV has partially escaped the cancel culture impact, witness wonderful TV shows like “Better Call Saul,” “The White Lotus,” and “Game of Thrones.” Yet some classic TV show characters wouldn’t cut it in today’s woke world.
They’re too problematic, too flawed to pass muster in the modern realm, at least according to social justice scolds. It’s a good thing they arrived prior to 2015, since modern platforms and TV studios alike might nix them before they ever entered our living rooms.
<h2>Archie Bunker</h2>
Archie Bunker may be the most obvious example of this pattern. Carroll O’Connor’s patriarch in “All in the Family” was loud, rude, and a man from another era. 
In short, he was a bigot. 
Yet O’Connor played him with such depth that audiences couldn’t help sympathizing with him despite that crusty exterior. That’s to show creator Norman Lear’s credit. The famously liberal Lear knew that making Archie a weekly punching bag for Meathead (Rob Reiner), his character’s progressive son-in-law, would crush the sitcom.
Just imagine pitching an Archie-like character today and not making him the show’s villain. It’s darn near impossible, but in the free-wheeling 1970s, those creative risks made for legendary shows.
It also delivered magical TV moments, like when Sammy Davis, Jr. planted a kiss on Archie’s cheek.
<h2>Michael Scott</h2>
Steve Carell’s Michael Scott proved the ultimate workplace villain via “The Office.” The U.S. version of the beloved British smash found Carell playing the boss of Dunder Mifflin, a Pa.-based paper company.
He meant well, or at least he tried to be a good person, but the results were often clumsy or downright insulting. And, of course, hilarious.
<a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a23695483/steve-carell-beautiful-boy-interview-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carell explained to Esquire</a> in 2018 why a new show wouldn’t include a character like Scott.
“I mean, he’s certainly not a model boss. A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That’s the point, you know? But I just don’t know how that would fly now. There’s a very high awareness of offensive things today — which is good, for sure. But at the same time, when you take a character like that too literally, it doesn’t really work.”
He’s right, and it’s a cowardly response from an artist who should be defending both the show and an iconic character.
<h2>The Fonz</h2>
Henry Winkler has worked consistently for more than four decades, including memorable stints in Adam Sandler comedies and “Arrested Development.” His signature role remains Arthur Fonzarelli, the cooler-than-cool biker from “Happy Days.”
The production originally <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/micky-dolenz-the-fonz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considered ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz</a> for the role, but Winkler nabbed the part that would change his career.
The Fonz, as he was affectionately known, knew his way around a garage and boasted a high moral character despite his thuggish exterior. Yet the women in his orbit couldn’t resist his greaser charms, and he made no secret of his womanizing ways.
That part of his persona would be very difficult to pull off today. In fact, a modern Fonz would be routinely dressed down and emasculated in order to empower the women in the cast.
<h2>Alex P. Keaton</h2>
The minds behind “Family Ties” pictured the show’s hippie parents, played by Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross, being the center of attention.
Co-star Michael J. Fox had other ideas.
His Alex P. Keaton, conservative to the core, went from a supporting player to the sitcom’s breakout star. Sometimes that happens, and there’s little a show can do about it but lean into the zeitgeist. That’s what the team behind “Family Ties” did, making it one of the ’80s best sitcoms.
What makes Alex such a memorable character, though, would likely be extinguished today. He was unabashedly conservative, a Reagan devotee and, at the same time, a decent human being.
He could be the butt of a joke, no doubt, but the show cast him as ultimately lovable and good. Now, imagine a 21st century sitcom creating a Keaton-like conservative and resisting the urge to dress him down on a weekly basis. A new Alex would find his arguments shredded each week, with his liberal parents getting the best of him over and over again.
<h2>Barney Stinson</h2>
Neil Patrick Harris’ time on “How I Met Your Mother” proved his “Doogie Howser, M.D.” days were no fluke. Harris wasn’t the main character in the clever sitcom, but his womanizing Barney Stinson rocked pop culture.
Barney gave us fun catch phrases, like “suit up!” and “legendary!” and let Harris wallow in chauvinistic impulses. They even produced books allegedly penned by the character (“Bro on the Go”). The fact that a gay man played such a charismatic lady killer made the performance all the richer.
Except now Harris’ Barney is wildly “problematic.”
His Barney repeatedly lied to women in order to seduce them. He even videotaped some of his romantic conquests sans consent.
So much white male privilege!
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

A Scene from All In The Family

These TV Characters Would Never Fly Today — And We All Know Why

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