My Reaction to Quentin Tarantino’s Recent Denouncement of America’s Cops

Hollywood, CA—I salute every performer or artist in the world for his or her contributions both big and small.  What a horrible world we’d be living in without the art, music, films, plays, dance and comedy.

We all have our favorites celebrities.  Sometimes we are disappointed or shocked upon learning their personal politics or attitudes.  Sean Penn, Jane Fonda and Barbara Streisand immediately come to mind. After Hollywood's Blacklisting of Leftist artists in the 1950's it's now those artists on the Right getting the treatment.  Mel Gibson and James Woods are two of today's examples.

I’m perhaps overly tolerant all people when in comes to those whose views are totally opposite of mine.  Sometimes those people have been indoctrinated their entire lives and believe every lie ever broadcast or published.  My job is to lead them by tolerance, kindness and example.

I’m a really Conservative Libertarian.  In Hollywood I’ve meet some really Left of center people that are incredibly talented and kind.  Actor Martin Sheen is a great example.  Sheen told me how he wanted to be a NYPD officer, applied and was promptly rejected when he fell ½ inch too short.

Sheen actually wanted to get my script, Come Friday about the Chicago policewoman hero Annie Leybourne made into a feature film. .  He spent some serious time hooking me up with his talent agency, ICM.   The film has still not yet been made because of issues not under his or my control. 

Recently mainstream media has given a massive soapbox to professional race baiters like Jessie Jackson and Al Starpton.  Every young African-American criminal killed by a white cop is treated like a innocent victim of a KKK lynching.  This is in part because both print and broadcast media is dying and they hope to prolong their existence with the sensationalism they too often create.

Now comes a somewhat self taught and gifted writer/film director into to the limelight for making ignorant, and hurtful denouncements of the men and women of law enforcement.   Yep, Quentin Tarantino took the floor of the debate and managed to offend thousands including me.

The immediate reaction of my cop friends was to call for a boycott of Tarantino’s films.  I was hoping the law enforcement community would put more thought into their reaction showing more tolerance than Tarantino.  That was not the case however.

There is a lot more than Tarantino involved here.  There are hundreds of fine men and women in the cast and crew of his films.  We’ve all see the endless credits rolling after every film. Punishing Tarantino also victimizes them.

Do we want to kill the hope and dreams of the young actors lucky enough to land a role in a Tarantino film?

Tarantino was emotional and convinced that he was addressing valid concerns.  I’m sure he never once thought about how politicians keep criminalizing more and more conduct.  I’m sure he never though of how the politicians have turned cops into extortionist bagmen to collect excessive fines from citizens for very trivial violations.

I say that it’s okay to rebuke Tarantino but a boycott of his films that we’ve all enjoyed is not the answer.  Let’s show Tarantino that our skin is much thicker than we’ve displayed so far.  I think all of us are guilty of putting our foot in our mouths at one time or another.  Go see his new film and judge it on its own merit.  I’m not going to miss the film, Hateful Eight.

When I have my next chat with Tarantino I will let him know that more than the cops, he hurt their wives and children more by his rash remarks.  I will forgive Tarantino for his thoughtless rant just as I ask my Liberal friends to overlook mine.  It’s going to be really difficult for Tarantino to save face here.  Let’s help him along.