Kerby Anderson

In previous commentaries, I’ve quoted Dennis Prager’s assessment that the left ruins just about every part of society it touches. The latest example comes from an editorial by Derek Hunter of how political correctness is ruining the film industry. The example he cited was the decision by Hollywood to make a movie about the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The producers were able to secure Helen Mirren to play the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. This was a key component to the project since there might not be much interest in this story with the public but getting Mirren on the project would probably increase interest and put more people in movie seats. There was just one problem. Helen Mirren isn’t Jewish. For most of us, having a person who isn’t Jewish play a Jewish person isn’t a problem. As one of the guests on my radio program put it: “It’s called acting.” The publicity image for the film showed Helen Mirren in prosthetics that made her look more like the Israeli politician. Derek Hunter then asked, “Are prosthetics not allowed anymore? Should Gary Oldman not have played Winston Churchill because he’s not bald and obese?” In his commentary, Derek Hunter, reminded us of another controversy in Hollywood. That one surfaced when it was announced that Scarlett Johannsen would be playing a trans person in an upcoming movie. When criticism came from the “trans community,” she dropped out of the project and the movie was scrapped. This led to an interesting discussion on my radio program about what would no longer be allowed in Hollywood. Perhaps the funniest line was that if we used the latest politically correct criteria then Leonard Nimoy couldn’t even be allowed to play Spock in Star Trek because he wasn’t a Vulcan. I guess we need to laugh because the reality of all of this is so tragic.