There is no doubt that Quentin Tarantino is a different kind of guy and there's nothing wrong with that when it comes to plying his trade. He's made some very unique and interesting movies and brought some fascinating characters to life on the big screen. But just because he has a particular talent for making movies does not mean that he excels in other areas of his life or that he's smarter than everyone else.
In case you've been paying more attention to football or The Voice than the news, Tarantino participated in an anti-police rally and has been going on a number of talk shows bashing police men and women. At a recent rally he said, "I'm a human being with a conscience. And when I see murder I cannot stand by. And I have to call the murdered the murdered and I have to call the murderers the murderers." At this rally, it was very clear that the majority of speakers were lumping all police into a murderous, racist group of jack-booted thugs hell bent on killing minorities and innocent people. Tarantino inferred as much in other comments and clapped when other speakers said as much.
Despite the opinions of those on the left side of the aisle, the vast majority of Americans realize that all cops are not evil people just looking for a reason to shoot someone. We also realize that in the vast majority of officer-involved shootings, the 'innocent' civilian was not so innocent. Tarantino's comments ignited a firestorm of controversy among those of us who don't lump every demographic group together and assume they are all alike.
Tarantino, after making his statements several times, is now backing off a bit and claiming that he was only talking about specific cases, such as those of Walter Scott and Sam DuBose. The director said the only reason those cases were deemed murder is because someone caught them on video which infers that there is a widespread 'police murder problem' that is going unchecked simply because the cameras are not rolling. I believe we can find several cases where an officer was convicted of homicide without the camera rolling.
Now the backlash is apparently extending to his newest film, The Hateful 8. There are calls for a boycott of the film and that has Quentin shocked, SHOCKED I SAY! He seems to think his 1st Amendment rights are being violated or he's being punished for exercising his right to free speech. "Yeah, I was surprised. I was under the impression I was an American and that I had 1st Amendment rights, and there was no problem with me going to an anti-police brutality protest and speaking my mind. And just because I was at an anti-police brutality rally doesn't mean I'm anti-police."
Tarantino clearly doesn't understand the Constitution. Just like everyone else in America, you do have a right to say what you would like. That's where the protection of your rights ends. This is the problem with most liberals, you are not free from the consequences of your actions and/or statements. Yes, Quentin, you can say what you would like without fear of being put in jail simply for making those statements; unlike some countries, Cuba, Russia, Iran, et al, where simply speaking out can land you in prison. That is what is guaranteed by the 1st Amendment right to free speech.
The 1st Amendment doesn't guarantee that anyone will listen and more importantly it doesn't guarantee that everyone will agree with you. Liberals seem to operate under the impression that the Constitution guarantees they will not only be heard but that we all have to listen and agree with them, ultimately doing what they want us to do. Sorry Poindexter, it doesn't work that way. You see we also have the right to disagree with you and decide that we do not want to support wrong-headed people with our money.
And isn't it interesting that when people do disagree with him, sometimes angrily, that he gets offended and wants them to be 'civil' in their discourse but it's OK for him to be an angry, name-calling, hate-spewing 'activist'? But that's none of my business.