Actor, singer, activist John Legend showed his disgust for GOP House Leader Paul Ryan on Saturday, after Ryan posted a saccharin-sweet Father’s Day video on Twitter. Ryan chose to ignore the emotional slaughter he was causing immigrant families who were being torn apart on American soil by an abhorrent Republican-led government. Legend’s slam of Ryan’s apathy is resonating with hundreds of thousands on Twitter, just as Robert De Niro’s “F*ck Trump” proclamation did last week at the Tony Award where De Niro garnered a rousing standing ovation.
The Trump Era is incomprehensible on most days. And the Trump immigration policies are separating small children from mothers, often with no warning, and causing unimaginable emotional pain, terror, trauma and most likely irreparable damage.
Most of these children will never see their parents again. Most of these parents will never see their children again. And most never got to say goodbye. Children are left to wonder why their mothers haven’t come to get them. Parents are left to agonize, never knowing if their child is physically/emotionally sick, safe—or crying out for them. As a mother and human being, it’s nearly impossible for me to wrap my head around that kind of pain. It’s the worst conceivable nightmare for a parent and child. Some will continue to suffer, some will never recover and some will break. For the sake of all that’s good in this world, no American should stand/ignore this atrocity on Father’s Day—or on any day.
Paul Ryan doesn’t seem to care about the pain he’s causing and John Legend is calling him out with the anger and words many feel, but have had to hold back while at work or in public. But people around the country, and around the world, are becoming less and less tolerant of the constant chaos and damage Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress have created`since Trump was sworn in.
Over one third of a million people agree with Legend on Twitter alone, and it can be imagined millions more feel the same way. Here is Legend’s original tweet along with Paul Ryan’s video (Legend’s tweet has over 367k likes thus far. If you open Paul Ryan’s tweet, he has less than 8k likes thus far. Sentiment overwhelmingly goes to Legend.
Some will criticize John Legend for his “choice of words” or the fact that he lashed out at Ryan after the GOP Leader posted a Father’s Day tribute to his wife and kids. But things like this are bound to happen to heartless men in power who condone, support and help enforce laws that cause devastation to thousands of families. Not a problem for Ryan. He and his family are not worrying—just as Nazi officials, under Hitler’s watch, would leave murderous concentration camps and return home to their wives, children and fairytale living—as if nothing happed that day. But it did happen and this is happening and Legend’s not about to let it go.
You have to admire John Legend, his wife Chrissy Teigen, Robert De Niro and any celebrity who has no f*cks to give to political correctness—and plenty of f*cks to give and use to flip off soulless, self-serving, lying and disgusting politicians like Paul Ryan and Donald Trump. Cheers to John Legend.
For the millions who desperately want to help, here are some suggestions via the New York Times Editorial Board on what you can do—and how you can take immediate action.
Related:
Robert De Niros “F*ck Trump” message at the Tony Awards gets standing ovation