Whatever You Think of Kevin Smith's Movies, He Continues to Kill It In the Dad Department

By Vivian Kane | Celebrity | August 15, 2016 |

By Vivian Kane | Celebrity | August 15, 2016 |

Over the years, Kevin Smith has become a divisive figure among critics, fans, and critics who are fans. (We’re people too!) Many of us who grew up on his movies have since fallen out of love with him, but there’s one thing that’s never changed: Kevin Smith gives a shit. He gives a shit about his movies and about movies in general, as art and as an industry. He gives a shit about people. Sure, he can be an asshole. I saw him make fun of a teenager’s dead mother during a Q&A at Comic-Con a decade ago, and that will always stick with me as part of who I think Kevin Smith is. But then I read this story last year about the time he apologized for being an accidentally selfish jerk to the whole staff of a restaurant and showered them in cash.

So Kevin Smith is a passionate guy. And you may no longer like the work he channels that passion into. But that full-throttle love and commitment makes him one hell of a father. (At least as far as we can glean from our place here on the other side of the computer screen.)

After 22 years of a career, I can safely say the best thing I ever made is my kid. She's even better than 'Clerks'. pic.twitter.com/LRj8DD0vge

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) August 5, 2016

Earlier this year, Smith taught us the valuable lesson that when your daughter is almost kidnapped by fake Uber drivers, you buy her a cake. And now he’s taking on cyber bullies. Because when you’re a teenage girl (or any age woman, or human of any sort) who posts pictures of yourself or interacts in any way on the internet, you’re going to face some sort of harassment. And when your dad is famous, you’re going to get some weird shit thrown your way.

When Smith’s 17-year-old daughter Harley Quinn (yes, really) posted a picture of herself with her boyfriend at Disneyland, some cretin with a heart and thumbs full of hate decided to take his terrible life out on her. And while she might have decided to let it go, that’s not necessarily what a dad does.

What it's like to be my daughter: 17 year old @harleyquinnsmith_ received this message simply for the heinous crime of posting a pic of herself on @instagram. I have zero clue what the reference to #TheMatrix is all about but, wow - way to unload on a teen girl because YOU have nothing to do in life. But even though I should be apoplectic about it, my kid thought it was funny. "I'd be mad if I had a tiny dick and anonymous voice too," she said, bemused by the bitterness. But here's a nickel's worth of free advice for folks like this Troll: if you hate me (or my kid) this much, the better use of your time is to make YOUR dreams come true, instead of slamming others for doing the same. The best revenge is living insanely well - so if you wanna get back at a 17 year old girl for the grievous crime of enjoying her life, the best way to do it is to succeed in your OWN existence. Show the world WHY we should be paying attention to you instead of anyone else. Because randomly attacking others merely communicates how creatively and emotionally bankrupt you are. You think you have something to offer the world but others are getting all the attention? Don't bitch or punish the world: just create. Create something nobody's ever seen before and there is a good chance the world will notice you. Attacking teen girls on the Internet is the saddest form of masturbation that exists and requires no discernible skill or talent. You want attention? Don't make yourself mad, make something original and fun. Because if you're not being useful in this world you're being useless. Don't be useless: go make stuff that makes people happy! #KevinSmith #HarleyQuinnSmith #YogaHosers

A photo posted by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on Aug 15, 2016 at 9:11am PDT

Has there ever been advice more perfectly in the center of “passionate artist” and “dad brand” than “Don’t be useless: go make stuff that makes people happy!”? He doubled down on the dad brand on Twitter, by the way.

When folks stoop to conquer me, I simply step on their stooped backs and rise higher. So never stoop, kids. Only stoop-id people stoop.

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) August 15, 2016

To make this all more impressive, this was Harley’s response to the same comment (which she posted the screenshot of before her dad did). To be 17 and this awesomely strong-minded is a big feat, both for her as a person, of course, but also for the people that helped shape this sort of teenage brain.

So lots of you probably saw this lovely comment someone decided to post on my photo out of the kindness of their heart and let this just be an example to you that there are trolls everywhere you go but you can’t let it get to you! I was at Disneyland with my boyfriend and family yesterday having the most amazing day and while in line for a ride I opened Instagram and this stared me down in the face. At first I was like alright that hurts, but then I realized who the actual fuck cares??? Why should I let this sad ass troll who clearly either has a stick so far up his ass it’s affecting his moral compass or is compensating for an insanely small dick ruin my day?? So I decided to laugh it off because no matter what, there are always going to be people in your life that are either jealous of you, don’t like you or perhaps are just looking to be negative, but you can’t let them get to you because if you let them upset you then they’re winning. You may be thinking why are they making such a big deal out of a stupid online comment, but my dad and I just want to give you a glimpse of what we deal with all the time and how we’re able to rise above it and carry on. This troll said he wanted me DEAD. That is obviously not something that anyone wants to hear ever, but I was still able to carry on and have a fantastic day because I didn’t sink to his level. Words are an extremely powerful tool so it’s your choice whether to use them to spread positivity and make the world a better place or be like this troll who was obviously looking to ruin someone’s day. Everyone is so fantastic in their own unique way so don’t let anyone try to demean you of your worth. With 1 person trying to shut you down, there will be another 100 people there to support you. So do what you love and spread positivity because life is too short to waste it either being a troll or paying attention to them!!!! Don’t ever let some stranger on the Internet try to bring down your self confidence because you are wonderful just the way you are!! Kill em with kindness kids❤️💯✨💞🐇