Benedict Cumberbatch speaks out against the bigotry of the religious right

[Bjorn Against]

I have seen a new effort to smear Benedict Cumberbatch, not for anything he did wrong but because of wrongdoing by his ancestors two centuries ago. The smear seems to have originated with the Daily Mail, a right-wing tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch is no friend to minority groups, but he is a friend to bigots and those bigots are sure to hate Benedict Cumberbatch because he speaks the truth about them.

Here is an interview he did with The Daily Beast, because of copyright limitations I can only post a small part of it but please follow the link to read the whole thing because it is one of the best interviews I have read from an actor in a long time.

The scenes of Turing undergoing the chemical castration are really gut wrenching.

And it’s still going on in North America with the Christian far right! There are courses and doctors and meds handed out to “cure” people of their homosexuality, and it’s shocking that it still goes on. It’s also shocking that any time there’s any kind of hardship, the minorities are immediately scapegoated—and that includes homosexuals in Russia, the Golden Dawn in Greece. The Golden Dawn came out of a financial crisis and people wanted answers, and the minute you start stirring up nationalistic feelings, minorities are the first people to get it because they’re the easiest to scapegoat. It’s terrifying.

There’s still a lot of homophobia in the U.S., as well.

Oh, the Christian far right? Yes. Very homophobic. You need to have a female president next, and then after that, a gay president. That’s the full journey from Obama’s legacy onwards. There’s a great Morrissey lyric from “America Is Not the World” from You Are the Quarry that goes, “In America, the land of the free, they said / And of opportunity, in a just and truthful way / But where the president is never black, female or gay, and until that day / You’ve got nothing to say to me, to help me believe.” It’s quite an old song from before Obama took office, but you’ve done black, then you need to do female, then the next, gay.

Did you ever have any experiences with homophobia? Bearing witness to it?

In an all-male boarding school, in the olden days, it was seen as being something that “just happened” since there were no girls, so you had a bit of an experience. But there was incredible homophobia at my school, to the point where two boys who were caught doing something were literally chased down the street.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/08/benedict-cumberbatch-on-the-imitation-game-homophobia-and-how-to-combat-isis.html

There are real bigots that need to be challenged, don't let those bigots in Rupert Murdoch's media empire tell you to focus your energies on tearing down a guy who is taking a stand against bigotry.

[MohRokTah]

1. K&R eom

[NYC_SKP]

2. I love the actor, and I love the man and the roles he's been choosing and the causes they address.

Thanks for this OP!

[SomethingFishy]

3. That post was not the first...

the poster had an entire list of people (including Obama) that we are apparently supposed to hate, because of something their families did 200 years ago..

I put him/her/it on ignore.

[NewDeal_Dem]

5. You're laboring under a misapprehension. I believe it's deliberate, and since you have me on

ignore it doesn't matter what I say, but I'll say it anyway. You and many other posters have deliberately misinterpreted and twisted my posts for your own reasons -- and I have my own ideas about what those reasons are.

nevertheless, your claim that my posts are lists of people "we are supposed to hate" is pure bullshit and indeed I've repeatedly rebutted that from multiple posters. It does not a bit of good, because that is the line that you and multiple posters are determined to take, for your own reasons.

I am poor; I am white. I was recently incapacitated for months, out of my mind, because of a brain infection brought on by overwork at my job -- sweated labor in a very real sense. I barely escaped with my life, I have brain damage that may never correct itself, I may never have another job that isn't sheltered and right now I'm lucky to have that, even though it's minimum wage and part-time. I know I was exploited at my old job and I know I'm exploited at this one, even though it's supposed to be helping me -- because it's making a profit for goodwill.

I'm sick of people like yourself and your self-important lectures.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

4. Kick.

[shenmue]

6. Ye-es

Loves me some Benedict.

[UtahLib]

7. K&R Great interview. nt

[Skittles]

8. thanking Mr. Cumberbatch

the man is a phenomenal actor and seems to be a fine human being as well

[AnnieBW]

9. Cummerbund Bandersnatch!

I love him even more now! .