Month: November 2025

Perhaps you saw this.

First, it was actress Jennifer Lawrence, sitting down with The New York Times a week ago for an episode of The Interview podcast. The host questioned Lawrence, noting how in the past, she has been politically outspoken, but yet, she hasn’t been making many public comments as of late. Lawrence said:

“I don’t really know if I should… as we’ve learned election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”

Next during the week came actress Sydney Sweeney. She sat down with GQ Magazine, who brought up last summer’s attention-grabbing American Eagle jeans ad and how Sweeney was the focus of what became a bit of an incessant political flashpoint. “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” said the ad. Utilizing a play on the word “jeans” vs. “genes,” critics scoffed at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed caucasian woman being the focus. GQ asked about her political involvement. The interviewer actually began discussing such by saying “you have become very swept up in politics.” Responded Sweeney:

“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.

And when pressed once more by GQ about the ad’s criticism and if there was something more she wanted to say, “specifically in this political climate,” Sweeney said: 

“I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”

I respect Lawrence and Sweeney, and I respect their recognition that celebrity status doesn’t mean their perspective is any more or less valuable than another. I respect their current resistance to join in the rhetorical fray. Sometimes, unfortunately, it has felt that a celebrity’s insertion of political opinion or endorsement has appeared most as an attempted moral scolding; that’s not effective nor attractive.

It reminds me of the simple wisdom from basketball great, Michael Jordan, some 35 years ago, at the height of his fame. When asked why he wouldn’t publicly endorse a North Carolina Democrat who shared his views years ago, Jordan shrewdly quipped, “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”

We see that in Lawrence and Sweeney, two widely popular actresses who have significant, diverse followings.

Lawrence added last week that she doesn’t want her political opinions to deter people from watching her films.

“I want to protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I’m doing, what I’m showing. If I can’t say something that’s going to speak to some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution, I just don’t want to be a part of the problem. I don’t want to make the problem worse.” 

Sweeney, too, added, “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think.”

It seems each has recognized the potential scolding. It also seems that…

Not everything has to be about politics.

Not everyone needs to speak about politics.

And how refreshing that can actually be.

Respectfully…

AR

Sometimes government is really frustrating, albeit for different people for different reasons. Personally I get frustrated with its inefficiency, massive deficit spending, and its attempt to play the moral authority of the land, with or without an acknowledgement of God. I do not believe it is qualified to be a moral authority.

I get frustrated even more so with the political hypocrisy that gets in a sagacious government’s way. Note a few brief bits of context and perspective…

• Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform. 
• Synonyms for hypocrisy include sanctimoniousness, false virtue and deceit.
• Unfortunately, it’s one of the things that many elected conservatives and liberals have in common.

One of the situations in which hypocrisy is seemingly most staggeringly, bipartisanly obvious is in a government shutdown. Perhaps the current shutdown will end soon now that the latest election cycle is over; however, the duration of this shutdown is increasing frustrating.

Government shutdowns occur when Congress fails to pass funding legislation required to finance the federal government. The legislation needs to be passed by a majority in the House, by 60 votes in the Senate, and then signed by the President.  

Since 1976, the U.S. federal government has had 27 funding gaps. Prior to 1980, however, funding gaps did not lead to shutdowns. A legal opinion that year stated that government work must stop if Congress hasn’t agreed to pay for it; a later opinion allowed essential government services to continue.

Our elect, no less, have been quite uniform in their stated disdain. Note their following previous descriptions of a government shutdown:

• “Always a bad idea”
• “Completely preventable”
• “A government shutdown serves no one”
• “A potential disaster”
• “Bad policy and politics”
• “Entirely unnecessary and has harmed our economy and our reputation in the world”
• “A politics of idiocy”
• “Almost never works”

Said by Democrats? Republicans? Half of the above are attributed to each. They admit shutdowns are bad for we the people. They also each utilize a shutdown for political leverage. Hence, the hypocrisy.

The four longest shutdowns are listed below and why one party wouldn’t agree; we are not suggesting their reasoning is just or unjust; we are simply noting the role each party has played.

• 1995–1996 — During the Clinton (D) administration (21 days). The House and Senate both had Republican majorities. Congress wanted significant spending cuts, which Pres. Clinton vetoed.  
• 2013 — During the Obama (D) administration (16 days). The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had a Republican majority. A minority group of House Republicans wanted to first alter the timing of the Affordable Care Act’s implementation.  
• 2018–2019 — During the first Trump (R) administration (35 days). The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority. Pres. Trump wanted funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. House Democrats did not; it would end up not being included.
• Now — During the second Trump (R) administration (36 days as of this posting). All three branches of government are led by a Republican majority, albeit not with the 60 vote Senate threshold. A majority of Senate Democrats first want an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies implemented as a COVID-19 emergency measure.  

The parties take turns attempting to utilize their perceived political leverage, seemingly deprioritizing how a shutdown hurts so many. Then they attempt to manipulate us into thinking the other party is maliciously motivated (i.e. they want to starve people… they care more for illegal aliens than for you…), thus often spending more time talking about what the other party is doing wrong rather than taking the time to themselves do right.

My sincere frustration exists, therefore, because we have elect on both the left and the right who hypocritically converse, refuse to compromise, treat one another with lavish disrespect, and can’t seem to figure out how to navigate the hard. Clearly, government should be better and more.

Respectfully…

AR

For years we did little for Halloween. It wasn’t so much about its ancient Celtic origin, but rather because we lived on a rather large plot of land nestled between multiple housing developments amid a golf community; kids simply did not come to our house.

When moving South and into an actual neighborhood, no less, it was immediately evident that the evening of October 31st was a community event. There’s just something about community that is so obviously good and right and true. 

And so we made the decision — having spent close to nil on the observance in years past — to be that house. Yes, the house with the regular, full-size candy bars.

This year we offered M&M’s, Reese’s, Reese’s Oreos, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish with various drinks available, too, for kids and adults. Several dear friends came and joined in the fun, and the nine of us sat out on the front porch, handing out some 500 bars to the ardent trick-or-treaters. 

The response was absolutely delightful. 

“Look!” One would yell. “I told you they had big candy bars!”

“You’re the G.O.A.T.!” squealed another adolescent. “Best house in the neighborhood!”

Oh, the kids were kind. The teens, too. I’m sure there are many who adopt a similar practice. There are also places in the hood where the number of candy collectors is in the thousands. 

But such got me thinking about the why behind the response…

All we did was hand out a little bigger bar to the kids and offer treats to the adults. It was an unexpected act of generosity. 

Let me be clear; there’s a difference between being generous and being charitable. While the words are often used interchangeably, “charitable” implies giving to the needy, whereas “generous” is a broader term for being liberal in giving or sharing.

But generosity is a deliberate act of kindness. It’s an expression of value. And it’s giving someone something without expectation of anything in return. 

Sure, we knew several of the masked little monsters who made their way up the short walkway. Several adult friends also sauntered by. But the clear majority of the candy seekers were people we did not know; they were strangers. The small, generous gesture was not based on any existent relationship.

As the costume-clad kid traffic dwindled and the evening came to a close, those of us on the porch sat and reflected on what a wonderful evening it was. What did we observe and conclude in a most tremendous night of people watching? …

… the Skittles went fast…

… the recently released Reese’s Oreo Cup was a surprise hit — especially with the adults…

… water is so often welcomed…

… the family all dressed up as the cast, celebrating the 10 year anniversary of “Hamilton,” was ingenious…

And most of all, generosity is meaningful.

Generosity doesn’t have to be a lot; the amount matters less than the intention.

But generosity makes people feel seen, appreciated and important.

Generosity is a most beautiful thing.

Respectfully…

AR