Cumming on America
So Alan Cumming, the fourth most famous export from Scotland (behind haggis, red hair and Groundskeeper Willie) writes at the Huffington Post that America is "comforted by mediocrity."
This coming from someone who -- as Defamer points out -- starred in the Tin Man and Son of the Mask.
Now, a vaguely familiar actor bashing America in the Huffington Post isn't earth shattering. I mean, if I reacted to every post like that, I'd never have time for Pilates, or heroin. But after doing his perfunctory preamble about how great America is - before, of course, trashing it to bits - he also claims that our country "lets its poor die."
Hold on, fella. I mean, I can understand all the Bush-hating, the ragging on the right and other predictable forms of Arianna ingratiation - but saying an entire country kills poor people?
I must have missed this on my shortwave radio.
But maybe Alan got confused. Maybe he meant to say that "America hangs gay people."
No, wait -- that's Iran. But hey: You don't earn brownie points standing up to that place around here.
Anyway, it might help to remind Alan, that America does more for the poor than ANY country in the world - past, present, and most likely, future. I mean, we help the poor to the point that it really hurts (see the housing crisis).
America remains the only place in the world where the line to get in could snake a thousand times around this volatile planet. If America was as evil as our man Alan reports, there would be a line of similar or any length to leave. But there is no such line, similar to the nonexistent one at the box office for "Josie and the Pussy Cats."
I don't know why Alan overlooks the pain and suffering in other horrible places in the world - instead to focus all his energy on the country that greeted him with open arms. I mean, true: America is no Scotland, but maybe that's why he came here.
But maybe Alan's too busy for a nuanced debate. After all, those cartoon cats aren't going to voice themselves.
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(In a really sardonic voice) Son of The Mask, a very underrated movie. Better than the original.
OK Hannity, put down the moniker and step away from your computer slowly....
I really wondered who this Greg dude is. I made some comments below. It turns out that he's a homophobe! How shocking- Wikipedia also says this about him.
"He helmed Maxim Magazine in the UK from 2004 to 2006.[2] However, Gutfeld's contract expired without renewal after losses in readership under his tenure. His final year at Maxim saw a loss of about 40,000 readers."
And this shocks......
????????
And he was also the editor of Stuff magazine. A real class act!
Hilarious.
He made points that most people agree on who have a brain- America could be better. The rest of the world thinks America isn't as flawless as many Americans think it is. Alan Cumming never used the word evil. He proposes that we should be looking for leaders who are LEADERS. He has high expectations of America as we all do. We are all proud of Americans for giving money to less fortunate. That is what makes the fabric of our country. But we also shouldn't settle for leaders who are just OK.
"America is no Scotland, but maybe that's why he came here"
I really hope writing isn't your day job. That's the kind of bratty comment my 6 year old niece would say and she's never even been to gorgeous Scotland.
I'm sorry Gregg Guttifuld. Sorry If I got your name wrong, but I've never heard of you. You're a vaguely familiar writer. (That's giving you a lot of credit!) I actually think you owe Mr. Cumming a lot more credit. Alan Cumming is a winner of the GLAAD award, The HRC award, The Trevor Project Award, The Empire State Agenda award, etc. The list could go on for the amount of awards he has received for speaking his mind and making the world a better place. He is what America is about, but most importantly- what humanity is about. Caring. Considerate. Kind. And vocal. He's also the winner of a Tony award which is the greatest achievement in the American theatre. But enough about awards. Your low blows about the silly (but some say entertaining) choices he's made with his career are irrelevant and your essay had a very snarky tone to it. I digress.
What I got from that article (which you must have misread) is that he does LOVE America. He wants it to be as great as can be. He wants to be a part of it. Alan Cumming would never overlook the good that America does and he wants American to wake up and see smell the greatness. He seems frustrated that so many Americans just settle.
Alan was spot on, lucid and fair. Why so thin-skinned when faced with valid criticism of America?
I can't stand watching sports with those guys who think their team never fouls. I can root for my team and still call a charge on Amare. And I can love America and still see what isn't great.
I don't blame America for Abu Ghraib, or Katrina, or Guantanamo, or illegal wiretaps, or any other crap handed to us by our president (and people who were afraid to oppose him). That isn't my fault, or America's fault. But we won't be as great as we should be until we fix those things, and many others.
America can be great. But we have committed a few fouls, too.
I suspect he was referring to the lack of universal health care. There is some number of actual poor people who do in fact die every year because they don't get preventive care. We choose to continue the system that denies them preventive care. Therefore, we let them die.
I got it right off the bat. I don't know why it's confusing to you that this is actually the state of America at present. Poor people are dying who don't have to, and we're OK with that. 'Cuz we're Amercans.
I guarantee you not one single reader of the HuffPo will answer your question - If the US sucks, why does everyone want to come here?
America continues to offer the illusion of prosperity, that's why. And to give you a good indication of our current standing, check this out.
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/newsletter/2008/oct_01.html
In 2007, just over 500,000 people immigrated to the US. DOWN from over 1 million per year since 2000.
In response to the question, if America is so great, why AREN'T they coming here?
Advertising, baby.
A chicken in every pot etc. It's a myth for millions of Americans and foreigners fall for it. Why not? Most people here do. Nothing wrong with a foreigner criticizing this country either. There's a lot to be critical of and we should be grown-up enough to accept it without any knee-jerk reactions. Gutfeld sounds more like the flag-waving platitude-spilling elephants in the republican party. truths are often uncomfortable but that doesn't take away from them as truth.
Ok after wasting about 10 minutes I found his post. It's considerably more thoughtful and insightful that this one.
Exceptionalism is a word not a fact, deal with it.
I read his post this morning. I could be wrong but i think your going to owe him an apology . I thought he made a valid point .
Americans DONT apologize.
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