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Hollywood portrays a twisted image of the public and, in doing so, Hollywood has been and remains out of touch with the American people.
In addition, actors like George Clooney and Brad Pitt attack the President’s position on the Iraqi crisis as inappropriate and even immoral, while the movie studios they work for incessantly churn out films that continue to undermine U.S. values.
I hate to see it; and I also think this is poor business.
For example?last year, 60% of the movies releases were R rated, or worse; that’s 3 out of every 5 pictures thrust upon the public. However, all 22 of the top-grossing films were rated for general audiences or parental guidance. Despite the solid business evidence that family entertainment sells, and sells very well, the movie studios continue to flood the market with R-rated flicks that don’t sell nearly as well.
Likewise, entertainment industry folks, like Natalie Maines of Texas, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, telling a London audience?“We’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” All Americans are entitled to voice their opinions, but in doing so, many show how out of touch they are.
Studios have the legal right to produce movies that sell sex and violence as entertainment, and perhaps as a way of life, to our nation. But consumers and business people also have a right to spend money elsewhere. We can choose not to pay good money to see morally reprehensible material. We can choose not to patronize actors who use their popularity as a platform to express political views that violate our sense of propriety. We need to defend free speech, we need to defend individual rights, but do we consumers and business people really want to support disagreeable movies and political ideas with our pocket books?
In my view, investors also need to forsake stock holdings in media companies that deliberately ignore the sound business perspective?that family movies are selling?while Hollywood’s favorite trash costs us the bottom line.
Steve Marr is the former CEO of the fourth largest import-export firm in the U.S., a company which facilitated international trade for many of the largest companies in America. Currently, Steve consults with with businesses and ministries utilizing ancient Biblical principles for success in today’s marketplace. Contact Steve at [email protected].
