Chris Pratt and Other MAGAish Celebrities
“Daddy hates Chris Pratt,” my nine-year-old son Declan said to me recently after yet another viewing of The Super Mario Brothers Movie.
I replied that hate is a very strong word but that I was not a Christopher Pratt fan. Like everyone, however, I used to dig the guy.
How lovable and awesome was Pratt on Parks & Recreation? He and Aubrey Plaza made for such an amazing fictional couple, and Pratt and Anna Faris made for an equally adorable real-life couple.
I fucking loved Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt made for an unlikely but inspired slacker superhero. I liked the sequel even better. I similarly adored The Lego Movie and thought that the sequel was super underrated.
What happened? I’m not sure. As is often the case, personality plays a role. Pratt divorced Anna Faris and married Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter. Arnold Schwarzenegger took office as a Republican, yet people still see him as being to the left of his son-in-law.
In 2015, Pratt told the British version of Men’s Health that he gained so much weight that it made him depressed and impotent. He then had to explain to the world that when he made that statement, he did not know what the word ‘impotent’ meant and thought it involved having a lethargic libido. That development led me to think that Pratt might be a real maroon.
Here’s the thing. As far as I know, Pratt has avoided making political statements of any kind. The ‘impotent’ debacle perhaps led him to think correctly that he should think long and hard before he speaks or, even better, not speak at all.
Pratt has not endorsed Donald Trump. He’s never been photographed wearing a red “Make America Great Again” red baseball hat. Pratt is not full-on MAGA, but he is MAGAish.
People on the left, like myself, don’t know Pratt to be a Republican, conservative, or Donald Trump supporter, but he seems like the kind of man who would cast his ballot for the disgraced, twice-impeached, one-term felon in the privacy of the voting booth, or not vote at all.
Rumors spread that Pratt belonged to Hillsong, the creepy megachurch popular with arch-conservatives. Pratt denies these rumors, but when he won an MTV Movie and TV Award, he implored, “God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that; I do.”
Being Christian doesn’t make you a Conservative. Look at Jimmy Carter. The man is a living saint (as of this writing, at least) and a Democrat.
Then again, Jimmy Carter is a real Christian who lives his faith and leads by example. That’s different than using an MTV award win to proselytize on Jesus’ behalf.
Dwayne Johnson endorsed Joe Biden in 2020. It was a bold act he bitterly regrets because, in his deluded mind at least, it tore our nation apart, pitting brother against brother and American against fellow American.
The muscle-bound coward stopped just short of begging Conservatives to accept him even though he committed the unspeakable crime of endorsing a Democrat.
Johnson went on to rail impotently against “Woke” culture and cancel culture and various other boogeymen of the right.
The Jumanji star was sending out screechingly loud dog whistles to his MAGA fanbase to let them know that they don’t have to worry about him taking a political stand that might negatively affect his popularity ever again.
Johnson is too much of a pathetic wimp/worthless shell of a man to actually endorse Donald Trump (as of this writing, at least), but he sure is MAGAish.
Other prominent MAGAish figures include Joe Rogan, who is super transphobic and believes in seemingly every conspiracy theory, and in 2020, endorsed Tulsi Gabbard, a fake former Democrat who would love to be Donald Trump’s Vice President.
Here’s the thing: a shit ton of people support Donald Trump despite him being insane and evil and stoned out of his mind on Adderall. He has tens of millions of vocal, die-hard supporters. So it seems odd to dislike celebrities because they seem like they’d vote for Trump or donate to his campaign. It’s still not cool to be a Trump supporter in Hollywood, however. You don’t want to be lumped in with Scott Baio, Kevin Sorbo, Kirk Cameron, and the rest of the has-been brigade.
He should be regretting that shirt!
So celebrities like Pratt and Johnson, who are very concerned with how the public sees them and how that affects their popularity and bank account engage in half-measures. They signal to their conservative fanbase that they’re on their side even if they don’t go through the bother of endorsing a controversial figure hundreds of millions of people despise because he is, objectively, the absolute worst.
The MAGAish mob appeals to the MAGA demographic, so they obviously don’t seem too concerned about losing fans on the other end of the political spectrum.
Nathan needs teeth that work, and his dental plan doesn't cover them, so he started a GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-nathans-journey-to-dental-implants. Give if you can!
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