My response to the Asbury Park Editorial, " 'Hamilton' shot itself in the foot"
(The online version of this editorial was titled, "Poor Staging by 'Hamilton.' ")
I am not an emotional person so I was surprised by my reaction to an editorial I found in the Asbury Park Press today. It takes a great deal to tick me off, but for many reasons this editorial raised my hackles. The online version can be found at:
http://www.app.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/11/22/hamilton-mike-pence-trump/94294264/
The editorial appeared to have been written by an elderly dowager who was offended by a wrongly perceived lack of civility rather than by the editorial staff of a newspaper. Considering everything that has been said and done during this election cycle I was astonished at the attitude and tone,
I felt that I had to respond. At this point, I don't know if they will publish my letter or not. They limit submissions to 250 characters, but the editor has the discretion to make exemptions. I submitted two letters. The first was around 450 characters. I deleted the first and next to the last paragraph and submitted a second version. The following is the first version in its entirety:
Re:
Your November 23, 2016 editorial, ‘Hamilton’ shot itself in the foot
There
was a letter to the editor the day this editorial ran. In it, the author called those who did not
support President-elect Trump as “educated elites.” I found it ironic, because your editorial, “ ‘Hamilton’
shot itself in the foot,” came across stuffy, self-righteous and elitist.
The
editorial stated that the message delivered by cast member, Victor Dixon, was a
“major turn off” and that it was perceived as “inappropriate and
disrespectful.” President-elect Trump
doesn’t know the meaning of either word.
He mocked John McCain’s service. He ridiculed a handicapped reporter. His comments about women, Muslims, Mexicans
and Jews have been beyond the pale, yet we should be offended by a few actors
expressing their concerns over their place in his presidency?
Yes,
Pence took the high road in his response to their plea, but his political
stances on women’s reproductive rights and his antagonistic history with the
LGBT community are cause for trepidation.
This man supports gay conversion therapy and people aren’t supposed to
speak out about that?
African-Americans
are afraid of being stopped for traffic violations. Muslims are afraid of having to register. The members of the LGBT community are afraid
of losing their rights. People are
genuinely frightened by Trump’s rhetoric and Pence’s positions. By speaking
out, the cast didn’t just express their fears, but the fears of many Americans.
People
were horrified by what happened in Ferguson, yet are offended by the cast
welcoming Pence and asking for his help?
The purpose of protest is to garner attention for a cause. Protest isn’t supposed to be pretty. It is supposed to make you uncomfortable. You can’t tie it up in a pretty bow to make
it palatable or wish it away. Gandhi
showed us that you can protest peacefully which is exactly what the cast
did. So what this boils down to is that
some members of the audience were offended by their approach?
The
editorial stated that, “ ‘Hamilton’ ” shot itself in the foot,” the implication
being that by speaking out the cast did themselves harm in some way. I saw no evidence of this on social
media. The majority of posts on Facebook
and Twitter were supportive. Thousands
offered to buy tickets from anyone who was offended. The show is sold out for over a year so
financially there will be no impact from those who called for a boycott.
We
are fortunate to live in a country where we can speak our minds. This isn’t about rudeness, but is about
fighting racism and bigotry. When given
the opportunity, I will choose the latter every time.
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