by William Skink

“Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”

When Meryl Streep made the above comment last night at the Golden Globe Awards, the unnamed target was Donald Trump. While I agree with the sentiment of the statement, I don’t agree with its narrow application.

Streep was an ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, giving this speech at the Democratic National Convention. That support, imho, transforms Streep’s words from righteous indignation to hypocritical bullshit.

Allow me a broader application of Meryl Streep’s comment:

Disrespecting the sovereignty of other nations invites the disrespect of our own. See the CIA, post WWII.

The violence of neoliberal policies incites more violence. See Obama’s drone program.

And when the powerful use their position to bully others, not everyone loses. Weapons manufacturers, security agencies and military budgets do just fine.

Meryl Streep, in her commentary last night, seemed really disturbed by Trump’s mockery of a disabled journalist. Fair enough. What I can’t seem to shake, though, is the sociopathic inclination behind this candid performance: