It’s time for another round of Heroes and Zeros. The winner this week is a young actor from “Stranger Things” making some very adult decisions about his part in eliminating Hollywood’s not so secret rape culture. The zero is the White House Chief of Staff.
Hero – Finn Wolfhard
When you are a member of the cast of one of the hottest shows in production, you have influence. What you do with that influence is up to you. When you are a teenager and have a lot going for you as an actor, people don’t expect you to make the kinds of decisions that Stranger Things’ star Finn Wolfhard did. The young actor is this week’s hero because, in the midst of the sex allegations coming against many Hollywood heavyweights, he fired his agent because the man was also accused of sexual misconduct.
Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler on the Netflix show, said goodbye to Tyler Grasham as well as the talent agency APA because of the allegations against the agent. This 14-year-old, who could have easily turned his head and kept it moving like many other well-established Hollywood men did and do, made a very big decision. It’s the kind of decision that more people need to start making because, in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, there has been story after story of other men who have abused their power. Imagine how many of these perpetrators could be stopped if actors and actresses used their influence to bring the rape culture that is so rampant in Hollywood to an end.
As a result of Wolfhard’s move, other actors that Grasham represented also cut ties with him, including Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce. Grasham has also been fired from APA. This is the ideal outcome of what can happen when someone stands up and says that they are not going to excuse bad behavior. Wolfhard has set a very important and newsworthy example. It’s so easy to not care about situations that don’t affect you, and it is a real show of character when you can make a bold decision without regard to how it can affect you simply because it’s the right thing to do.
For unapologetically leading the way on the quest to end rape culture, Finn Wolfhard is this week’s hero.
Zero – John Kelly
The American people are a fickle bunch; in particular, those who consider themselves patriots. It is under the guise of “I love my country” that too many people engage in hypocritical behavior that excuses the actions of others simply because of their position. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is this week’s zero because of the way he tried to discredit Rep Frederica Wilson after she called out Donald Trump for his treatment of the family of Niger fallen soldier, Staff Sgt. La David Johnson.
First of all, when will these men get tired of cleaning up Trump’s messes? I mean, the man has no filter, which apparently is an attractive characteristic for Americans who cited his “honesty” as the reason they voted for him. The situation involving Kelly and Wilson transpired because #45 didn’t choose his words carefully before he told Staff Sgt. Johnson’s widow something to the effect of, “he [Johnson] knew what he signed up for.” Needless to say, Trump had one of his clean-up men come in and try to smooth things over after Wilson revealed what he said to Johnson’s widow. She was in the car with the grieving wife and mother when she got the phone call and thus heard Trump’s comments first-hand. Of course, she “reported” on it, which painted Trump in a bad light, and then entered Kelly.
The chief of staff immediately went in on Wilson to discredit her; a tactic used much too often in politics. And the way he did it has left him looking stupid because he got every important point he was trying to make about the Rep so very wrong. He called her an “empty barrel” and said how stunned he was that she took credit for the building of a new FBI facility in Miami back in 2015; I’m assuming in an effort to make a point about Wilson’s character.
Everything he said she did was proven wrong but yet he has still not apologized for the way he attacked her. News outlets, as well as individuals, have called on him to admit how wrong he was in his assessment of what happened and for the things he said about Wilson, but Kelly refuses. And to top it all off, those who call themselves patriots feel that he has no reason to apologize for anything. Supporters call him a “war hero” but if he really believed in the principles that the United States military is supposed to stand for, then he would have no issues admitting he was wrong and apologizing.
For taking advantage of his position in order to bring down a woman who is trying to keep the president of this country accountable, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is a zero.