Dear Hollywood,
You guys have been pretty politically active lately, haven’t you? Hillary Clinton must really appreciate all of your efforts to help get her into the White House.
Between the high-priced fundraisers, comedic adaptations of Donald Trump’s book and rock-the-vote videos where you finish each other’s sentences, you guys have really pulled out all the stops this election cyle to make sure Clinton is well-funded and to turn the DNC into Comic Con.
I would like to offer you all some friendly advice: If you really, truly want to help Clinton win and make sure Trump never gropes a soap opera star on camera again, you guys need to back off. Right now.
Not only are your efforts to spread the gospel of Clinton not particularly helping her presidential chances, but your best intentions are actively hurting public perception of her.
To be fair, you might not realize the effect your excessive evangelizing for Clinton has had on certain voters. The Hollywood elite aren’t known for being particularly self-aware. Right, Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer?
I would wager that not one of you have ever met a Trump supporter besides Angelina Jolie’s father or maybe Gary Busey.
Spoiler alert: They hate you. They automatically dislike you and everything you represent. Let’s break that down:
1.) They hate your wealth
These are people who have gone through some serious economic turmoil in their lives. They come from areas plagued by disappearing jobs, and they wonder to themselves, “How come those Hollywood folks make so much money pretending to be other people while I have to scrap and struggle for every penny?”
The Trump faithful believe you haven’t worked hard enough to deserve your status in society. Because of that, your voices only make them angrier than they already are with their circumstances.
2.) They hate your politics
It’s no secret that Hollywood is an overwhelmingly liberal place. Trump supporters were probably inclined to vote Republican no matter who was nominated.
They (rightly) assume that unless otherwise indicated, you’re pulling for the person they would rather see in jail than the White House. Remember: There’s no such thing as a surprising celebrity endorsement.
3.) They connect you with the establishment
Above everything else, Trump backers HATE traditional politicians. Even if she were a Republican, Clinton couldn’t have won their primary contest any more than Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio because she is thought to be a part of the “establishment” that is responsible for disenfranchising enough Americans that Trump became a viable presidential option.
This group also has a natural distrust of the media, both news and entertainment. Just like they won’t believe anything printed in the New York Times or Washington Post, they won’t trust “Hollywood propaganda,” which can come in the form of movies, television shows, music and celebrities spouting their political beliefs in public.
I can’t describe people’s disgust at getting preached at by celebrities better than my colleague Ashe Schow did:
“We are being bombarded with people who are supposed to be our betters telling us what to do,” she wrote. “People are getting tired of hearing people who act in movies tell them what to think. It’s becoming overkill.”
Remember when I said they hate you and what you represent? Clinton checks all those boxes too, and many Americans lump you guys in with her. Because of that, the more you tell Trump supporters they’re wrong, the more Trump supporters will reject that message.
Angering the people who pay for your livelihoods (movie tickets, television viewership, album sales, etc.) may not be the most sustainable business model for prolonging your careers.
Take it from my colleague Jason Russell, who earlier in October broke down how a celebrity endorsement can hurt that celebrity’s brand:
“When a celebrity endorses a candidate, it can actually backfire on the celebrity. Supporters of one party don’t reconsider their politics if a celebrity endorses someone of the opposite party — they like the celebrity less.”
So there you go. Not only are your efforts to draw voters to Clinton hurting her campaign, but you may also be screwing up your own lives in the process.
It’s way too late for this with less than a month left until Election Day, but the best thing you can do at this point is to make yourselves as scarce as possible. Stay quiet, and maybe, just maybe, the “deplorables” will stop thinking about Clinton as an uber-liberal, rich, privileged establishment chrony who spends more time mingling with Hollywood bigwigs than crafting policy.
Just a thought. You’re welcome.
Joshua Axelrod writes about the intersection of entertainment and politics for the Washington Examiner. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
