The United States has a problem with taking celebrities as serious, intelligent people who are worthy of listening to them. This often leads us to idolize people who have the same stupid opinions that conspiracy nuts have. But their celebrity makes them appear reasonable.
Even when they are not.
Enter Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers is (was) an attractive man. He was also the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers when they won the Super Bowl. Quarterbacks are the stars of American Football. Green Bay is the darling of many fans. It is the only team owned by the fans and is by far the smallest city to have a franchise. And the Super Bowl is the crown jewel of American Football.
So, Aaron Rodgers was revered. Then came COVID and Aaron Rodgers spouting off.
Turns out he is quite crazy.
* He came out against the vaccine, claiming he was "immunized." He then tested positive and said that when he said "immunized," he didn't mean he took the vaccine. He also could not explain exactly HOW he was immunized. But he could and did compare himself to Martin Luther King, saying he had a moral obligation to object to unjust rules.
* Now, this week said that Hillary Clinton headed a conspiracy to kill John F Kennedy Jr.? And gave the Trumpian "just asking" defense.
“So Bobby loses his uncle, JFK, his father, RFK,” Rodgers said. “His cousin [JFK Jr.] dies in a plane crash when he was running against Hillary Clinton. I’m not saying that’s a conspiracy, but it’s kind of a weird coincidence. Bobby’s in danger. He’s putting himself on the line. Why? Because he fucking believes in this country.”
* He was "just asking" if 9/11 was a conspiracy, not an attack. "Just asking" if 3,000 + people were murdered by the government isn't "just asking." It's supporting the spreading of a nutjob conspiracy.
* He lied in radio interviews that Jimmy Kimmel (for the Brits - a late-night presenter) had slept with underaged girls on Epstien's island. And he publically scoffed at Kimmel's claims he was never on the island. Yes, this got Jimmy Kimmel death threats, but that is par for the course in today's America. Aaron said the soon-to-be-published list of visitors coming to the island would include Kimmel - as a pedophile. It did not. He was very wrong and accepted responsibility but never apologized.
* He thought that Sandy Hook, a shooting where 20 plus schoolchildren were murdered by automatic weapons, was a government operation to take people's guns. He said government ops could be found in the woods before the shooting. This was after a judge already fined right-wing radio host Alex Jones $985 million for spreading the untrue story.
Now, he is totally allowed to have these (idiotic) beliefs. But giving celebrities a more significant platform and assuming their comments are valid is one of the reasons America is in the pooper.
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