Choke on Them Apples: Matt Damon's 5 Best Unscripted Political Moments
By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (71)
Typically, I am of the same mind as most when it comes to actors discussing politics. It feels squicky, and more often than not, it it gives us a glimpse into their crazy (see, e.g., the Twitter feeds of John Cusack or Adam Baldwin for contrasting nut-jobbery) or the celebrities come off as preachy, whinging elitist (Tim Robbins, Sean Penn). But — and maybe it’s my own liberal bias speaking here — when it comes to Matt Damon (and Ben Affleck to an almost equal extent), when they talk politics, they sound not only smarter than the politicians, but more likable. These are guys that not only pass the “beer test” but the IQ test, as well.
Indeed, Matt Damon doesn’t make me cringe when he talks politics; he speaks from a place of understanding and intelligence, and he doesn’t sound like a blowhard, either. He’s the kind of guy that I’d like to see run for office one day because he knows the issues and can speak to them passionately and articulately. It helps, of course, that I agree with his politics. Right now, when there are practically no politicians in Washington who are well liked or for whom we can passionately root, it’s nice to see someone like Damon speak some goddamn sense.
He doesn’t do it often on camera, but when he does, he makes an impact. Here are Matt Damon’s 5 Best Unscripted Political Moments. Put some W.G. Snuffy music in the background, and this man could easily be the next Senator of Massachusetts.
5. Matt Damon on the Underemployed and Homeless (Begins at 1:37)
4. Matt Damon Questions the Fairness of the Men and Women Forced Make Up the Armed Forces
3. Matt Damon Criticizes President Obama for Ignoring His Mandate
2. Matt Damon Rips the Choice of Sarah Palin, Calls it a “Bad Disney Movie”
1. Matt Damon Defends Teachers
To lighten the mood and because it is in the Pajiba bylaws to do so whenever Matt Damon is mentioned, here’s his impression of Matthew McConaughey. It never gets old.
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Comments
Posted by: Protoguy at August 3, 2011 5:29 PM
We need more people like him. Not more actors or more politicians or more lawyers like him, more people.
He illustrates very succinctly and clearly what the real problems are and what the real problem is. There are too many people, whether it's cynicism or just plain stupidity who can't wrap their brains around the complexities of every issue and fall back to dumb-ass cliches and propagandic lies to support their arguments, like that reporter and that cameraman.
They honestly do think that welfare is nothing more than an entitlement program so fat, inner-city losers can sit back and pump out kids and take their hard-earned money. Or lazy idiots who don't want to work. They can't or won't see that it is a safety net for those who have lost jobs or who have had catastrophic illness hit their families. They can't understand that the policies were put there because real events prompted them, not because some liberal asshole wanted to give away their money. Real people died waiting for healthcare or a job. Real people starved.
And these are the same people who copy-pasta that crap about how we give billions to other countries and let our people starve while opposing the very programs meant to help the hungry here.
They honestly think that teachers are lazy liberals who became teachers so they didn't have to work a real job and spend their time forcing condoms and evolution on their kids, while at the same time they gut teacher pay and cut funding for public schools while applauding the government for giving their money to faith-based private schools rather than fixing the public schools.
They really think that this country was created by Christians, for Christians and the motto engraved on the Statue of Liberty meant unwashed Christian masses. They really think that the "browning" of America is it's downfall.
They honestly think that immigrants come here because it's the greatest country in the world, not because they are escaping the shittiest. That they come her to drop anchor babies and suck up our healthcare. They really believe that Muslims who come here are dead set on creating Shariah law so they can stone their daughters for not wearing a veil.
It's funny, but Miami is the reddest city in some ways. Just follow their idiotic politics for a week. Listen to Marco Rubio speak for a half hour and you'll weep. The irony and hypocrisy down their is staggering. On the one hand, if you're a Cuban immigrant, you're granted immediate amnesty once your feet hit the beach, because of course, Cuba is communist and we're still in the middle of a cold war(?) But if you're a Haitian, the minute your feet hit the beach, you're taken to the Krome Avenue Detention Center which sits on the border of civilization and the Everglades. If you don't have a sponsor, that's where you stay for the rest of your life, basically. It's not a jail, but you can't leave. If your feet don't hit the beach, and your boat is intercepted at sea, you are immediately deported back to Haiti, in some cases, to face your death. I hear Haiti has gotten better, so maybe the death part isn't still an issue, but the staggering poverty is.
The distinction given by the government is that Cubans are political escapees while Haitians are economic escapees. As if politics and economy are separate things...
Sorry for the tangent. My mind went there because Cubans tend to be the only Latino group that is by and large, Republican. Because, you know, that bastard Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs.