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The Screaming Moderate

'Hamilton' cast reflects America

11/19/2016

2 Comments

 
There is a big debate going on in social media (and other places) today over the cast of “Hamilton” delivering a message at the end of last night’s performance to Vice President-elect Pence who was there to enjoy the show.

As he was exiting ahead of the audience one of the cast members, with all others behind him, stepped up, thanked Mr. Pence for attending and delivered a message of diversity to him, which he apparently stopped and listened to as he hit the lobby. (You can see the video by copying and pasting this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWlwrUFiuUw

Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr in the production, read the message to Pence and here is a part of it:

“Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at ‘Hamilton: An American Musical.’ We really do. We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us. All of us. Again, we truly thank you truly for (sharing) this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations.”

Critics online  are saying it was an insult to the vice president-elect. From what I see, it wasn’t intended as one but what it was, to me, was: A diverse cast reflecting many others in the country who are fearful of what will become of their freedoms under a Trump Administration. And they have reason to be based on the comments he made on the campaign and his early appointments to his Administration.

As the new leaders of this country, Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence have an responsibility to ease those fears.

Mr. Pence could have chosen to hear the message, stay and have a dialogue with the cast and audience about why they, and millions of others, shouldn’t be fearful. That would have been useful. Instead, Mr. Pence left and his new boss, Donald Trump, tweeted this: “Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras ablazing. This should not happen!” And he asked that the cast apologize to Mr. Pence.

Call it free speech, as some are. Call it an insult to the new VP, as some are.  What it was, was a polite call for help. They were saying “tell us we shouldn’t be frightened about a Trump presidency and what it means to our rights as American citizens.”

Online I’ve seen comments that the cast was disrespectful and inappropriate in doing what they did.

Maybe they were. But that’s just how afraid people are and rather than tweeting and retreating, Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence should assure them they having nothing to fear, if they indeed have nothing to fear.


2 Comments
Beth
11/20/2016 06:56:32 am

Well said, B. Jay. I didn't see anything disrespectful in what they did or said and I applaud them for it. I hope they do not apologize for exercising their right to free speech. wish I had been there. I would have loved to see it and the show. It's nearly impossible to get tickets.

Reply
E Povich
11/20/2016 07:15:16 pm

Actually, Pence was completely gracious, unlike the Tweeter-in-Chief. Good for him! Here's his response:

(from Variety)

Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s demands that the cast of “Hamilton” apologize to Mike Pence for its statement on Friday, the future vice president took a much more measured approach to the incident on Sunday.

“It was a real joy to be there,” Pence told Chris Wallace in an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” “When we arrived, we heard a few boos and we heard some cheers and I nudged my kids and reminded them, that’s what freedom sounds like.”

“I did hear what was said from the stage, and I can tell you I wasn’t offended by what was said. I’ll leave to others whether that was the appropriate venue to say it,” he added. He also praised the show as “incredible,” and complimented the “incredibly talented” cast.

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    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

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