No, the axe I want to grind on Ms. Paltrow has to do with some incredibly stupid comments she made about her profession. So as to avoid leaving her to twist in the wind alone, we can bring in a fellow member of the uninformed Hollywood elite, Tom Cruise, also known for the inanity of his self-pity.
Ms. Paltrow apparently said that mothers with office jobs have it easier than she does. Before picking oneself up off the floor, realize that Ms. Paltrow really believes this. She also believes that she is more thoughtful than most people, that she has an elevated sense of style and a firmer grasp on reality than the rest of us.
Not surprisingly, my disenchantment with Ms. Paltrow began when she compared American men to British men and found us lacking. I'll put up with constructive criticism from just about any angle, but I will not take that. As an otherwise educated American man with some travel under his belt, I'm perfectly comfortable with the way I am, willing to acknowledge my shortcomings but unwilling to denigrate my attributes because I don't have an Etonian education and don't use the redundant U in spellings. For her to make such a blanket statement was the first inkling that Ms. Paltrow was a few apples short of a full peck. That may explain her choice of name for her daughter.
Her recent statement, however, suggesting that her multi-million dollar lifestyle, with jet-setting across the globe to be feted in luxurious accommodations with a staff provided by production companies with plenty of time off to do as she wishes between projects is just ridiculous. Her assertion that working mothers can get things done in the morning before they go to work compared to her hectic life on set is beyond crazy. I'd love to see her switch places with a working mother for a month and see how she holds up. She wouldn't last a week.
That people actually like this woman amazes me. She's the most pretentious, self-centered and clueless celebrity I can remember.
These people imitate people for a living. They get paid gobs of money to pretend. And the public eats it up, praising them unduly and listening to them like they're latter-day Delphic oracles. When something stupid like this is uttered, the public recoils with disgust as if it's just learned that the sun doesn't really come up in the east. Very few of these actors have discernible skills that would be useful in the workplace. They rely on genetic gifts and learned charm to get what they have in life. When a Ms. Paltrow or a Jamie Foxx -- our lord and savior Barack Obama -- make comments that would qualify them for a strait jacket in real life, the public is turned off for a bit, but eventually forgets about it and gives them a pass.
Perhaps the foremost example of this is Jane Fonda, otherwise known as Hanoi Jane. Here are some pictures from Ms. Fonda's past activisim that is largely forgotten today:
For the younger set, that's Ms. Fonda visiting a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft battery during the Vietnam War. An anti-aircraft battery that was used to shoot down American planes piloted by American servicemen. Ms. Fonda went on to dismiss American allegations of torture in the Hanoi Hilton as POW's. Of course, those same airmen were defending her right to exercise her First Amendment rights that allowed her to make these ridiculous allegations, but that's a nit to be picked at another time.
So Ms. Paltrow's legacy for inanity can be traced back to Hanoi Jane. The American public has largely forgotten Hanoi Jane's treachery, rewarding her twice with an Oscar for her art. She has earned countless millions with workout videos and sundry other projects, forgiven by the American people and rarely taken to task for her treason. Ms. Paltrow's stupidity pales in comparison to Hanoi Jane's actions, but she can trace its roots to Hanoi Jane's conduct.
Perhaps, just to keep the connection alive, we should christen Ms. Paltrow London Gwenyth.
She likes the British more anyway.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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