There is a brief article by S.V. Date on NPR’s website called “NRA’s ‘Anti-Gun’ List Includes Some Not-So-Obvious Names” which says that the NRA’s list has over 500 names on it. I’m surprised the NRA would keep such a list, but what doesn’t surprise me are the celebrities who say one thing and do another.
Date points out that Matt Damon and Carrie Fisher used weapons in their movies, and it reminded me of a video someone told me about, which I’ve posted here (it’s the clean version of the original).
Mike Hunt, who created the video, shows celebrities speaking out against guns, then shows scenes of them using guns in TV shows and movies. He’s obviously pointing out those celebrities’ hypocrisy, and he has a point. When it comes to the media, whether we’re famous or not, we all have to think carefully about what we say…and do.
Look at those celebrities in the video: they’re saying guns are bad, but they’re making money by using guns to entertain the public. Since a celebrity’s job as a professional communicator is to influence people, do their actions or words matter? Can their movies and TV shows influence people to use guns, even though they say they’re against them? Basically, they’re mixing messages, and it’s something that we should also be careful about.
And it’s not like the NRA is in the clear, either. By keeping a list, they’re giving people different messages about freedom. They want people to have the freedom to own guns, but they’re keeping track of people who are against guns. Whether a list is kept by a government group or not, it has negative connotations, especially once it hits the media.
The bottom line is that we should have consistency in character. John Maxwell and other public speakers have said that you have ethics, or you don’t, and it’s important to consider what you say, and how you act, wherever you are.