What Ellen Degeneres Can Teach Us about Tolerance
Talk-show host Ellen Degeneres has recently faced significant scrutiny over her public friendship with former President George W. Bush. Many disagree with the policies Bush enacted during his presidency, and assert that Degeneres is a privileged white woman, so she has the luxury of being able to ignore the happenings during his time in office—Bush had a rather divisive history with LGBT rights. As president, Bush was either neutral towards or openly opposed to gay rights.
The basis of this criticism is that because political opinions are a major hallmark of a person’s values, they are part of the criteria for who we choose to be friends with. This logic is problematic for several reasons. Political opinions can only go so far to reflect someone’s character. For example, look to supporters of President Trump. Just because a person supports him doesn’t automatically render them morally corrupt or indicate that they support everything that he’s said or done. While his supporters can often share his same beliefs, it is biased and unfair to assume that every Trump supporter is a carbon copy of the same racist person. A Trump supporter may approve of his economic policies and the jobs he has created in office, but strongly condemn his controversial comments and regulations surrounding immigration. It is an inherent form of privilege to assert that a lower-class person who agrees with Trump's economic policies because of their benefits for their family should think about the bigger picture—not everyone can afford to do so.
Yes, some people may be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, etc. However, having politically conservative beliefs is not synonymous with being discriminatory or hateful. This can also be applied when conservative folks viewing their liberal counterparts and stereotype them as oversensitive “snowflakes.” Making assumptions contributes to the already deep political divide and prevents us from having necessary respectful discourse with one another.
In Ellen Degeneres’s case, her wealth and privilege do not take away from the fact that she’s an LGBTQ+ pioneer and a well-known activist. When Degeneres publicly came out, she was ostracized by both the industry and society itself: her sitcom was cancelled, and she couldn’t find work for several years—but the hardships she went through made her an advocate for LGBTQ+ people in the industry, and paved the way for other queer performers. Degeneres is a renowned Hollywood figure; her circle of friends undoubtedly includes people who disagree with her liberal views. It’s that very ability to connect with everyone, which is under close scrutiny now, that made her a household name in the first place.
George W. Bush made mistakes during his presidency. All presidents do. In times of war, these mistakes have more ramifications. Every single president has done something we can easily condemn them for: President Obama exacerbated turmoil in the Middle East by using military force in Iranian affairs. It’s impossible for any president to be absolutely blameless. The wide scope that presidents have undoubtedly means that they’ll cause casualties, but this doesn’t mean it is immoral to be friends with any president. Rather, it means that we should look past what might seem black and white to us and recognize that not every difference in opinions is a difference in a person’s humanity. What we may disagree about regarding economic policy is not the same as disagreeing on who counts as a person. Yes, political opinions are important—some conservative people are truly hateful and prejudiced—but jumping to conclusions does not help.
People make mistakes, people are different, and not everybody thinks alike. Looking past some of the things that separate us is key to overcoming the undue animosity that we have towards each other.
by AANYA GHOSH