There is a continual heated conversation going on in this country, and as this debate over this racial injustice intensifies, there are progressive ideologies that are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with a conventional attitude of being colorblind. Apparently, treating everyone the same way regardless of ethnicity or race is now treading on shaky ground. The latest victim of this? None other than noted Hollywood actor Tom Hanks. Now, the dominant argument is that to be “non-racist” is simply not enough. Citizens, especially prominent ones, cannot just treat minorities the same as they would white people. Nowadays, they must be “anti-racist” if they are going to be a benevolent force for good in today’s society regarding racism, both now and in the past. In a nutshell, if celebrities fail to demonstrate sufficient anti-racists, they could be cast aside as a foe to the movement. Now we see that even Tom Hanks, of all people, is now the latest victim of this impossible standard.
What Happened to Tom Hanks?
Of course, Hanks is known for his work in “Saving Private Ryan”, “Forrest Gump” and a multitude of other film work, made an attempt to do good and push for racial inequality by writing an opinion piece for the New York Times urging Americans to “learn the truth regarding the Tulsa Race Massacre.”
Now, you would think that Tom Hanks would get all kinds of plaudits for saying these things. However, this isn’t the 1990s folks, and the standard is much more impossible now. Instead, this well-known actor was dogged relentlessly by NPR entertainment critic Eric Deggans for not doing enough simply because they think that Hanks had an alleged role in perpetuating this white supremacy with his artistic endeavors.
“He’s built a career playing righteous white males,” Deggans wrote in a rebuttal op-ed for NPR over the weekend before suggesting that Hanks is simply acting like many other prominent white public figures, is “specifically and personally connected to the elevation of white culture over the other cultures.”
This seems to overlook the fact that Tom Hanks has starred in all kinds of tremendously spectacular historical events, such as Forrest Gump, Greyhound, Apollo 13, News of the World, and Bridge of Spies. Moreover, Hanks has also served as an executive producer or regular producer on a litany of other projects, including The Pacific, Band of Brothers, From the Earth to the Moon, and many others. He even worked on documentaries! The point here is that the man has had an illustrious career and he doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body! However, those “woke artists” now think that Tom Hanks is every bit as bad as a grand wizard in the KKK!
“But I am saying it is time for actors such as Tom Hanks to be not just accepting, but anti-racist as well,” Deggans admitted, noting that “there’s a difference between non-racist and anti-racist.”
Anti-racist does imply action, Deggan said, or “looking around your universe and taking specific steps to dismantle the systemic racism that is all around you.” And then Deggan advised Tom Hanks and others to seriously examine how they might have contributed to the problem and then repent of it. Oh, brother.
According to Deggans, if Tom Hanks really wants to make a difference, Hanks and other stars need to talk specifically about how their work might have contributed to these problems and they are going to change. They will have to make specific commitments in regards to changing the conversation regarding how these baby boomer filmmakers have made fortunes amplifying these normally racist ideas. That is the truly hard work of building change, Deggans claims.
However, the pendulum is now shifting very far to the left, and Deggans’ criticism of Hanks may have the opposite effect of what he has in mind.
What do you think about these liberals believing that Tom Hanks isn’t “anti-racist” enough?
