Ellen DeGeneres went to a sports thing.
She and her wife sat next to former President Bush and his wife.
They did not yell, hit, or tweet at each other.
Someone won the game.
I remember when this would not have been news.
We have changed.
There are people that view the scene I described as horrible.
It must be evidence that neither Ellen or former Pres Bush have any deep-seated beliefs.
If they did they would have duked it out during the game.
Or maybe scowled at each other.
Stalked away in high dudgeon
(High dudgeon. I’ve wanted to use that since I first read Little Women!)
Or something.
Other people see this as a watershed moment of brotherhood… or at least tolerance.
People can sit and watch a sports thing companionably
even if they think the other person is deeply flawed.
Okay.
Ellen has used the monologue on her TV show to explain that being kind to each other means being kind to each other….
even if you don’t agree with everything the other person believes.
There was much clapping and head nods.
Sincerity and straightforwardness is shown and we come to our senses.
Blake Shelton (The Voice)
and Dean Cain (the cute TV Superman from 1993)
are among the celebrities that support her level-headed tolerance in being kind to Bush.
(Y’know, even Michelle Obama accepts candy from the man. I mean….)
But The Hulk isn’t happy.
He can’t even.
Mark Ruffalo wants Bush to be brought to justice for the crimes of the Iraq War.
Vanity Fair
(the magazine, not a Marvel superhero)
wonders if Ellen is out of touch with reality.
Actress Jameela Jamil,
formerly a clapper and nodder for Ellen,
has flipped and now stands with Ruffalo.
Jamil didn’t learn of the monstrous President in school,
and now educated, is understanding of the Bush rage.
(I don’t know that American students are versed on the Prime Ministers, so British-born Jamil has a point.)
So, maybe it’s a slow week.
Maybe we have run out of indignation due to,
I dunno,
anything that is happening politically right now.
Turks and Kurds.
Syria.
Tariffs.
Ukraine.
The revolving staffer’s door of the White House.
Poverty.
Illiteracy.
Maybe people righteously angry at Bush
are only upset enough to hit Twitter when he is seen with Ellen?
Maybe.
Maybe Ruffalo et.al. have been waiting for THE perfect time to emote.
Man, I don’t know.
War is bad.
Kindness is good.
I’m holding on to that, OK?
(This post is part of the #31DaysOfWritingChallenge2019.)
Pocket Change 