Why I signed the petition asking Disney to re-hire James Gunn
Neither my husband nor I like to put our names on things or share our email addresses easily. But both of us signed the petition asking Disney to re-hire James Gunn as director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies (warning: the petition contains cussing). And here's why:
First off, please understand that I do not support the jokes he made which got him fired, nor am I looking at his political views or anything else he stands for nowadays. I am only considering the issue at hand: the jokes he made that got him fired! (And I'm assuming that he didn't live out those jokes and isn't currently doing anything like the things he joked about.)
Of course, no one should make jokes like those, not when people have undergone serious abuse in those kinds of situations. I think those jokes are terrible.
But ... so does he!
Disney said they fired him because his jokes are inconsistent with their values. But he himself says that his old jokes are inconsistent with his values today. He has apologized for them in the past. He is ashamed of them.
And then even after being fired for them, he responded with such humility about it. Such gracious humility.
I do not support those jokes, but I do support someone who changes for the better, who knows what they did was wrong and apologizes for it, who doesn't try to excuse their mistakes or go on the attack against those who pointed out their mistakes.
I think Disney over-reacted here, in an attempt to make sure that nothing reflects badly on them. I think they got caught up in this highly-reactive, witch-hunt culture. (Although I do appreciate that they want to show they don't support jokes like those. But as I said ... neither does he anymore! He agrees with you, Disney, and yet you still fire him!)
And I guess that's part of why I signed the petition. I can't stand the reactionary nature of society nowadays, the mob mentality of "do things our way or we'll throw a fit." You can destroy someone's life and career by accusing them of something, and it doesn't even have to be true or completely accurate. Laws get changed when a small group of people complain about something. Monuments get removed. Textbooks get rewritten. People get fired. Careers and reputations get destroyed. One person uses their "rights" to trample another person's "rights."
Someone can put one small, biased piece of a story online and get angry mobs to march for this or that. They rile everyone up ... and then everyone reacts and starts throwing accusations and demands around ... and people don't stop to really consider what they're really fighting for or against or the effects of what they're doing or how they're affecting others or how selfish they're being for demanding that everyone else changes everything to do things their way.
And I think it sets a dangerous precedent when someone can dig up old joke tweets and get someone fired from their current job when that person has already apologized for them. (Once again, I'm assuming that he isn't currently doing anything horrible that he should be fired for.)
I think this petition shows that people don't agree with continuing to punish someone for years-old mistakes, who has changed for the better, and who has apologized for it repeatedly. It shows that we all know what it's like to be human, to make mistakes, to need and want forgiveness.
"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone ..." (John 8:7)
I don't believe the way Mr. Gunn does about various other issues, but I signed the petition because I do believe in grace. In mercy. In giving someone a second chance. In supporting them when they change for the better. In forgiving someone when they apologize.
Disney, please bring back Mr. Gunn! Show us that you believe in that, too!
If you believe in what I do - please sign the petition. (And share this post or petition with others. As of 10:22 a.m. central time on 7/24/18, it's got 263+ thousand signatures.)
(And Mr. Gunn, for the record, the Guardians movies are my all-time favorite Marvel movies. They mean so much to me on many different levels. And I'm sure your direction is a big part of that. Thank you!)
First off, please understand that I do not support the jokes he made which got him fired, nor am I looking at his political views or anything else he stands for nowadays. I am only considering the issue at hand: the jokes he made that got him fired! (And I'm assuming that he didn't live out those jokes and isn't currently doing anything like the things he joked about.)
Of course, no one should make jokes like those, not when people have undergone serious abuse in those kinds of situations. I think those jokes are terrible.
But ... so does he!
Disney said they fired him because his jokes are inconsistent with their values. But he himself says that his old jokes are inconsistent with his values today. He has apologized for them in the past. He is ashamed of them.
And then even after being fired for them, he responded with such humility about it. Such gracious humility.
I do not support those jokes, but I do support someone who changes for the better, who knows what they did was wrong and apologizes for it, who doesn't try to excuse their mistakes or go on the attack against those who pointed out their mistakes.
I think Disney over-reacted here, in an attempt to make sure that nothing reflects badly on them. I think they got caught up in this highly-reactive, witch-hunt culture. (Although I do appreciate that they want to show they don't support jokes like those. But as I said ... neither does he anymore! He agrees with you, Disney, and yet you still fire him!)
And I guess that's part of why I signed the petition. I can't stand the reactionary nature of society nowadays, the mob mentality of "do things our way or we'll throw a fit." You can destroy someone's life and career by accusing them of something, and it doesn't even have to be true or completely accurate. Laws get changed when a small group of people complain about something. Monuments get removed. Textbooks get rewritten. People get fired. Careers and reputations get destroyed. One person uses their "rights" to trample another person's "rights."
Someone can put one small, biased piece of a story online and get angry mobs to march for this or that. They rile everyone up ... and then everyone reacts and starts throwing accusations and demands around ... and people don't stop to really consider what they're really fighting for or against or the effects of what they're doing or how they're affecting others or how selfish they're being for demanding that everyone else changes everything to do things their way.
And I think it sets a dangerous precedent when someone can dig up old joke tweets and get someone fired from their current job when that person has already apologized for them. (Once again, I'm assuming that he isn't currently doing anything horrible that he should be fired for.)
I think this petition shows that people don't agree with continuing to punish someone for years-old mistakes, who has changed for the better, and who has apologized for it repeatedly. It shows that we all know what it's like to be human, to make mistakes, to need and want forgiveness.
"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone ..." (John 8:7)
I don't believe the way Mr. Gunn does about various other issues, but I signed the petition because I do believe in grace. In mercy. In giving someone a second chance. In supporting them when they change for the better. In forgiving someone when they apologize.
Disney, please bring back Mr. Gunn! Show us that you believe in that, too!
If you believe in what I do - please sign the petition. (And share this post or petition with others. As of 10:22 a.m. central time on 7/24/18, it's got 263+ thousand signatures.)
(And Mr. Gunn, for the record, the Guardians movies are my all-time favorite Marvel movies. They mean so much to me on many different levels. And I'm sure your direction is a big part of that. Thank you!)
