MATT DAMON.

Let me go on record as saying that I find it extremely annoying when self-righteous celebrities with massive egos go on about their political opinions, as if they believe that somehow they are more enlightened about world issues because they make a living by reading words off a page and playing make believe all day, or because they are capable of singing songs and/or playing an instrument.

Case in point: Madonna recently stirred up controversy when she showed photos during one of her concerts that compared John McCain to Hitler. Now, I happen to be a huge fan of Madonna's music but I can't even fully comprehend the stupidity of this. It is clear that she will do or say just about anything in order to generate media attention or pretend that she is still somehow culturally relevant, even if it is with completely ignorant and uninformed ideas like that.



Listen, I would prefer that John McCain didn't win the upcoming US presidential election. Yes, the United States have some serious problems. Yes, George W. Bush has spent the last 8 years going full retard. But neither McCain nor George Bush are Hitler, and the United States isn't Nazi Germany, and anyone who will rationally attempt to make that argument really needs to relax a little bit. That type of insane rhetoric doesn't really further political discussion in any meaningful way, it's just a vague way of saying "this person = bad" and it ultimately does more harm than good.

It's this sort of ridiculous behaviour that feeds into the notion of the out-of-touch, celebrity based cult of Obama that doesn't know or understand anything about the problems faced by real, not ridiculously wealthy, decidedly unfamous regular people. Personally, if I want to form a political opinion, I will try my best to read about the issues being discussed, I'll find out as much as I can about a candidate, I will watch speeches and debates and try to formulate a logical opinion on my own. I don't need Madonna to break things down for me in terms that are so black and white it's completely insulting, I really could not care less who Scarlett Johansson's heart belongs to, and I wouldn't listen to advice from Will.I.Am or Puff Daddy about something completely inane like interior decorating, let alone complex sociopolitical issues.

Before I go on, let me fully acknowledge that this rant is intensely hypocritical, but I assure you: I am aware that I am an out-of-touch, lazy musician and that my political opinions are just as worthless as anyone I am complaining about here. Maybe even more so, seeing as I am also Canadian and can't even vote in the upcoming US election. But at least I am upfront about the fact that my opinion means absolutely nothing; to be honest, I am absolutely enthralled by this election, but this is why I have limited my political writings to discussing fist bumps or talking about how hot Michelle Obama is. Also, I am not a celebrity, so it's different.

Anyways, this culture of self-important egomaniacs trying to enlighten the world by sharing their political beliefs was brilliantly parodied in Team America: World Police, and it's ironic to me that Team America's infamous MATT DAMON has come out with one of my favourite political soundbites so far. As I've said before, I thought McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate was a shamelessly transparent political move, and I have some serious concerns about the fact that this lady could potentially become the leader of the free world, but I haven't heard that opinion echoed on too many mainstream media outlets (although this also could be because I don't have cable.) So in spite of my intense dislike of famous actors and musicians talking about their political opinions, I definitely enjoyed Damon's analysis of Sarah Palin and the state of the Presidential race, he really sums up the ridiculousness of the whole situation with a refreshing frankness:



It's like that scene in Good Will Hunting when he eviscerates that snobby Harvard student in the campus bar! MATT DAMON indeed. What an epic burn. What do you have to say to that Sarah??



Yeah, that's actually quite scary. I'll be going now.