Tinsel, Gold Teeth and A Warm Body Underneath

Tinsel, Gold Teeth and A Warm Body Underneath

The best tours of Hollywood should always begin with the seductive long legs of la la Land leading to the toast of Tinsel Town where it's not what you know but who you know can fill your glass with their unquestioned sexual needs. Whether you're greeted in the 5 star foyers of celebrity bliss or lured into the wine cellars of the ultra 1% dream, privilege is a political podium tied to the trysts of Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus spoiling the fruits of our unsung labor. Unbeknownst to the nostrils, bank accounts and notched bedposts of America's most wanted lifestyles, the "Go Fund Me" extravagance of fan-paid escapades, America would be a far richer place - ethically and financially - if "We the People" withheld a dollar and an hour of our time every time Michael Moore, Katie Perry, Eminem, Robert De Niro or Rosie O'Donnell mocked middle America as a hateful abyss of Right Wing supremacy. For every James Woods or Tim Allen blacklisted for quoting the Constitution and lamenting the unborn, there's an anti-American Jane Fonda or racist Whoopi Goldberg fanning the flames of societal discord for the syndicated shock value of gross exaggeration.

The only public menace more hypocritical than the entertainment industry incessantly lecturing America about discrimination, equal rights and human decency is their unquenchable thirst to bath their ego - sow their political seeds and feed their carnal desires - wherever and whenever they please. Just like the pharaohs and kings of old, no amount of self-indulgence or moral subversion can fill their vacationing hearts; a lifestyle define by excess and adulation. And yet amidst the suffocated stories of coerced victims the world is finally beginning to see the film and music industry for what it is worth; a cesspool of greed, sexual exploitation and social degradation that not only poisons the minds of generations of our youth for the price of a ticket or song, but eagerly ransoms the frail, budding aspirations of "dreamers" who too often are forced to pay a pound of flesh for the slightest hope of fortune or fame.

For years renewed claims of sexual harassment, rape and pedophilia have plagued the entertainment industry with little action or collective concern from the inner circles of cinematic, sports, and music executives. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, both of whom were prominent 80's childhood stars, admitted to being raped on the same night in separate rooms. And while Haim eventually succumb to a drug addiction - one he battled for years after being introduced to cocaine as an emerging teenage star - Feldman has been ostracized for his campaign to expose what he calls "rampant pedophilia" in Hollywood. As expected, his assertions based from personal experiences were immediately dismissed as "false and damaging" by Barbara Walters during a televised interview. Then again, if you can stomach former Chief of Staff Jon Podesta's taste in modern art as much as a slice of his brother's pizza, no child is really off limits. It's therefore of little surprise pop star Kesha was also shunned by the press after revealing music producer Dr. Luke raped her when she was an 18 year-old virgin and that he threatened to destroy her career if she ever exposed his vile behavior. Naturally many within the mercenary mud pit known as journalism labeled her accusations as spiteful, baseless indictments without merit. But as we all know, appearances are everything when entitlement and self-gratification are the greatest impetuses of achieving such control...the OJ Simpson illusion of innocence. Money buys influence and access is a drug the adoring media rarely moralizes no matter what the human cost.

Although Harry Weinstein has become the tip of the proverbial storm -  rightfully so considering Rose McGowan was allegedly raped by him, a young model pressured into allowing him to perform oral sex, a reporter forced to watch him shower/masturbate, and now other woman have come forward with stories ranging from repeated harassment to forced sex acts - how many other aspiring actors, actresses, models and musicians fell in the cracks of his constituents' complacency;  even worse, the media's silent consent or willingness to falsely debunk almost any claim of industry indiscretion to maintain a reputable lie of social activism?

Of course when so many detailed allegations come forward with such ferocity, victims can finally breathe and the dam can no longer deny the portending public relations nightmare, the truth finally finds the light of day. A video of "esteemed" Trump critic Jimmy Kimmel recently surfaced showing him asking a woman to guess what was in his pants, along with a dignified plea for her "to put her mouth on it", while footage of Oscar winning writer and actor Ben Affleck relentlessly groping and objectifying a television host has empowered other actresses, including a well respected make-up artist, to go public with similar tales of abuse at the hands of the now infamously dubbed, "buttman".  Whether you're a common stage hand, a doting fan or yet another Red Carpet VIP sipping Chablis in a guarded trailer, it's obvious no one is immune from being the recipient of such unwarranted advances; i.e., the moral relativism and callous apathy of Hollywood's so-called imaginary "rape culture".

I'm not recklessly suggesting everyone in the entertainment world is guilty of sex crimes and unparalleled misconduct. There are a number of conscionable thespians, musicians, and athletes who walk the walk and tirelessly work to make the world a better place with their time and money. However, as much as I agree all people should be judge on an individual basis and given the benefit of the doubt, that same has not been afforded to Republicans, Christians, or anyone in traditionally conservative states who have fought to preserve our Judeo-Christian values and have repeatedly warned about the consequences of eroding the family paradigm. Last time I checked, glorified violence, ingrained disrespect and unchecked hedonism sit squarely on the shoulders of "cultured" urban activists who believe a married woman choosing to raise her children is sexist oppression and who portray self-defense as an armed crime that pales in comparison to movies or video games that mindlessly shoot or invite viewers to kill everything in sight; including cops, free speech or God-forbid our own President..   

When sex, materialism and an insatiable desire to live the celebrity lifestyle - mass adoration, soulless vanity and living a life without regrets or boundaries - replaces society's need to raise generations of respectful, well-adjusted youth ever cognizant of their choices, the results speak for themselves. Social change and female empowerment isn't achieved by parading around naked in the streets, scrawling slut across your chest and profanely degrading anyone who finds such lack of decency offensive. Such obscene sensationalism merely seeks validation through political intimidation and does nothing to encourage civil discourse, let alone instill an acute sense of accountability in anyone; regardless of their political leanings or sexual identity.

True feminism is about reminding our daughters they are not reduced to the sum of their body parts; that the content of their character and the legacy of their actions are the greatest indicators of their self-worth and natural born rights. Equality begins by teaching girls to respect themselves, as much as it does empowering young, impressionable boys to see all females as their sisters and mothers; deserving of equal regard for their well-being and aspirations. It does not require a political affiliation, demonizing the opposite sex or denouncing morality and basic decency as fascist gender control. Likewise, sexual freedom or personal gratification without restraints, an innate concern for others, merely invites philandering, uninvited aggression and even pedophilia. One needs only to peruse the unfiltered depravity of social media, those more concerned with their genitals, convincing Holocaust survivors Trump is a Hitler or garnering the maximum number of "retweets", to conclude regression and progressivism are now one in the same.

Not to rain on Hollywood's incestuous love affair with itself, but not all boundaries are meant to be broken and conditioning society to treat violence as entertainment and women as stage props hardly exonerates their ranks from culpability. Harry Weinstein personally befriended and/or routinely partied with cinematic heavyweights such as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, Quentin Tarantino and Russell Crowe. And despite the reality so many witnessed and/or personally learned of his improper behavior from colleagues, not discounting published pictures revealing the distressed faces of actresses like Emma Watson while in his libido's therapeutic presence, little was ever said or done out of fear of hurting their careers by unnecessarily writing a best-selling script of industry scandal; or better yet, self-incrimination. Yes, how utterly courageous and apropos when the names of modern sex toys are seen as more life-like, more memorable, than the actual expendable victims of Hollywood sex crimes.  Apparently only Brad Pitt, seething over the mistreatment of then girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow, had the gumption to confront film mogul with a "Missouri Whipping" if he did not cease and desist.

Only under the protective halo of the colluding press could a heavyweight Democratic fundraiser like Harvey Weinstein, a personal confidant of both the Clintons and Obamas who was repeatedly invited to White House events, be publicly hailed as "a wonderful human being" without one network rewinding the  remarkably absurd comments of one Michelle Obama for posterity's sake. And to think Hillary kissed congressional colleague and former Klan leader Robert Byrd on the cheek, while the President has been disparaged daily by networks as a white supremacist for saying hate is not a race because it inevitably exists in all facets of America. Who in their right mind could actually believe the media isn't hopelessly compromised, built to indoctrinate trusting, ignorant minds, when incontrovertible maxims are clearly twisted to house partisan lies? How many women, without a shred of evidence, were given press conferences by the major networks just weeks before the election in hopes of thwarting Donald Trump's campaign? Twelve more than the number who made police reports or filed lawsuits: none.

The fact Mr. Weinstein "bravely" announced he's entering rehab and hired a high profile criminal attorney reveals his response is as phony as it is entirely devoid of remorse. Of course, the real question is what happens now? How many conspicuously silent talk show hosts - the same politically conscious hacks who lambaste the President daily over mere hyperbole and unsubstantiated paranoia - will demand its viewers choose between rejecting the cultural rot of pop culture, the sexual impropriety of celebrity affluence, or watching their obnoxious programs? How many award galas, public classrooms or athletic venues will be hijacked to rail against Hollywood indecency, exploitation and liberal hypocrisy? And lastly, when will America unite to reclaim their dignity by stripping away their support and hard-earned money from those detached elitists, moral degenerates, and political terrorists who sanctimoniously dehumanize any dissension from the celebrity status quo?  "Strip away the phony tinsel from Hollywood and you will find the REAL tinsel underneath": Sycophants, narcissists, traitors and always a warm body beneath.