Posted on 12/07/2016 8:54:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON – Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington said it’s up to the American people to “ask questions about each other and engage” as a way to improve race relations in the country because the U.S. president cannot “legislate love.”
Washington also had a direct message for anyone wondering which candidate he voted for in the 2016 presidential election: “None of your business.”
Washington’s comments were his first since he was the subject of a false article that claimed Washington shocked Hollywood and endorsed Donald Trump for president.
The post was shared more than 22,000 times on Facebook before being removed.
Politifact and BBC pointed out that the favorable Trump quotes were actually from civil rights activist Charles Evers, not Washington.
“Of course I saw it,” Washington said, referencing the incorrect article during an interview before the premiere of his new film, Fences, on Tuesday evening. He directed and starred in the movie, which will be released nationwide on Christmas Day.
In October of last year, Washington told The Hill he was undecided in the presidential election. “We just need to know more,” he said at the time. PJM asked Washington which candidate he ultimately supported and why.
“None of your business,” Washington responded with a smile.
Instead, Washington named some areas he would like to see President-elect Trump tackle. PJM asked him for the top issues he wants to see Trump act on during his term in the White House.
“I don’t know. I would have to be more informed to just say off the top of my head the number one issue: education, jobs, health. I mean, there’s so many,” he said.
Fences deals with race relations in the 1950s as it tells the story of a former Negro League baseball player who faces challenges trying to provide for his family.
PJM asked Washington, who attended President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, if he thinks race relations have improved since Obama took office.
“You know, race relationships have to do with race relationships. You’re white or whatever you are. I’m black or whatever I am. We are standing here talking now – that’s how we get things done. You can’t legislate love,” he said. “The president of the United States can’t legislate us into liking each other. We have to step forward and ask questions about each other and engage. There’s no law that says, ‘Oh, because I’m president you all got to get along now.’ So it’s up to us.”
Washington also weighed in on whether or not the Black Lives Matter movement has helped or hurt race relations in America.
“Listen, we live in America and in America we have the freedom to express ourselves. We shouldn’t take that for granted so whatever the movements are, whether you agree with them or you don’t, they have the right to express themselves. So that’s one of the great things about being in this country, that you do have the right to protest,” Washington said.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/2016/12/07/denzel-washington-on-race-relations-you-cant-legislate-love/
I like him as an actor and I like what I can tell about him as a human being.
An actor, a musician, any artist, makes a mistake when he gets involved overtly with politics. He should let his art do the talking. Most people have already put up barriers politically, and they aren’t going to listen to a contrary opinion. If you go down that road, you’ve already eliminated half your audience, and people who might have listened aren’t listening any more.
An actor especially, to do his work, has to disappear into his role. If I see him in his real life identity, I can’t easily see him in his screen persona, the more public he is the harder it is for him to disappear into his role. There is a fine line, I suppose, they need publicity to be bankable, but too much destroys their ability to embody someone else on screen.
It's sad that this kind of good, common sense is no longer prevalent. But it's not surprising since we have the dem party, the media and academia all working in concert to prevent good race relations.
But-Liberals can certainly legislate their hatred!
“...you do have the right to protest,”
Correct...HOWEVER, liberty is N O T license!!
Denzel Washington is another angry black man. At least he knows who won.
Denzel is right, you cannot legislate the heart. It is the antithesis of God's will for man.
Or hurry it.
Lord protect him, in Jesus’ name.
The plantation with its liberal masters and house slaves will come after him.
Brave actor.
Worked with him on a foreword for a book. He reached out personally because he preferred the KJV over a different Bible translation being used to go with the foreword. That told me a lot about him and I’ve always been a fan.
You’re wrong. I know someone that attended the same church as he does for a number of years. He is a faithful man, a deep thinker, and more conservative than you might think.
SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil . . . For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver. - Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
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"No, you'll just have to wait..."
His movie Book of Eli is about a guy who has King James Bible memorized and walks totally by faith. The mere fact that he made the movie (and that it was very good...) also told me something about him.
Denzel is wholly grounded in his Christian faith. He puts God first.
By extension, Denzel likely believes you can’t legislate hate, either. You can just tell who the smart ones are in Hollywood. There aren’t many of them tho.
Denzell is a great actor and he seems down to earth, unlike some of those actors. I might see Fences...
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