Dear Ewan, Thanks, But …Me & My Opinions 

Dear Ewan, Thanks, But …

Dear Ewan, Thanks, But …

I would imagine I’m going to get ripped a new butt-hole for this, but hey-ho. I’ll get right to the point. When Ewan McGregor refused to go on GMB [Good Morning Britain] because Piers Morgan was the host, I was a little pissed off. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging you, Ewan babe, but I’m a little disappointed. I don’t know you, I don’t know your story, and I don’t know your personal reasons for making your TV decision, but I do know that a little part of my heart sunk.

Piers Morgan is a plank, I whole-heartedly understand that. I also know that fighting with Piers Morgan would probably be like repeatedly banging your head against a brick wall which, again, isn’t something I relish the thought of. But … isn’t Piers Morgan just another little Donald Trump we need to defeat? Another little un-educated, misogynistic twat of a man who needs to know a few truths? That’s my opinion about the pair of them. My OPINION. It doesn’t make me right or wrong, although I do agree I’m probably un-educated on the entire matter.

Ewan McGregor is a huge celebrity as far as I’m concerned, and a real one at that. Not a Kardashian-esque fuck-up* with plastic this and designer everything-that, but a real one, one with real talent, someone I look up to and respect. [*Judgemental bitch, aren’t I?] I would be beyond star-struck if I ever met him. I was even star-struck when I met Charlie Boorman, simply because the two of them had done stuff on TV together. (Sorry Charlie.)

Ewan’s an idol. Ish. He’s definitely enough of an “idol” to make an impact, something I felt his TV refusal yesterday didn’t do. It didn’t make enough of an impact. It was all a little anti-climactic.

“The best way to deal with a bully is to ignore it. Don’t rise to it.”

Blah, blah, blah. I know all that. I’ve been the victim of bullies for many years, and I still have some of the scars to prove it. But if ignorance is really the best way to deal with a bully, what would have been the point of the Women’s March at all? What if we had all thought and acted like that? Stayed at home, refusing to look at the problem, refusing to speak about the problem because it means speaking to something with the opposing opinion …

How do we expect to change people for the “better” if we won’t even give them the chance to understand our / your side of the argument? Imagine if our teachers hadn’t educated us – the things we were thinking / doing / saying ‘wrong’, instead choosing to walk out of the room and pretend our misbehaviour wasn’t there. Imagine if our parents had taken that approach. Sometimes people just need to be educated, and it’s not like I’m ever going to have the chance to speak to Piers Morgan and disagree with his ideas. I won’t get the chance to say him, “Yo, your Tweets about the #womensmarch were probably a bit harsh, stop being a plum.” But Ewan McGregor had that chance, and he didn’t take it. As a role model, an idol, and someone very much in the public eye, I felt he had the opportunity – the obligation almost – to do that for us. If he disagreed with what Piers had tweeted, and he really wanted to get on our side – rabid or non-rabid feminists everywhere – he would have had the say that the likes of me and you can’t have. That we won’t get the opportunity to have. He could have made an impact.

Dear Ewan, Thanks, But …

It kinda felt like he didn’t have my back.

I, personally, would want everyone to have their opinion. I might not agree with Piers Morgan. In fact, I don’t. I don’t like the guy at all. But he’s entitled to an opinion, isn’t he? Just as much as Ewan McGregor. And me. You too.

I just feel like NOT having the debate is probably not good for the cause. NOT talking about it won’t make it go away. NOT wanting to face a problem is what gets most of us into the problem in the first place. He felt strongly enough about disagreeing with Piers to refuse to go on TV and promote his new movie, so maybe he should have gone there and said that? Or said something? I think it’s easy to hide behind Twitter and a website, I know it is because I do it, so I just don’t think a Twitter spat was the right way to deal with it. Then the name-calling starts and that’s just bloody pathetic and belittles every argument on both sides. I don’t want to see two grown men fight, Bridget Jones-style, on morning television, but I don’t really want to see two grown men have a Twitter fight either. When did we stop having the ability to sit down and talk like rational adults? More than that, when did we stop really fighting for each other?

Dear Ewan, Thanks, But ... 3

I still love Ewan McGregor. I still think he’s a great actor and I’ll still sing along to every word in Moulin Rouge, but I’m still also a tad disappointed. I don’t like Piers Morgan but I’ll watch GMB because I really like Suzanne Reid. I’ll take one for the team, and I felt Ewan should have done that too. I put up with plenty of my friends even though I don’t like their children. Same thing, right?

These fuckers won’t go away, nor will their un-educated social media comments, until you face them. How about we educate, not ignore? Protest is good and all, but what’s the point in protesting if you won’t sit down and talk out your differences when you’re given the opportunity to?

Everyone’s gotta do what they’ve gotta do, I appreciate that. I respect him for making a stand at all. Thanks, Ewan. I guess men really can’t win either way …

Ewan, I still love ya x

Dear Ewan, Thanks, But …

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One Thought to “Dear Ewan, Thanks, But …”

  1. Sb

    I agree with parts of this – but I wanted to raise the point that maybe Ewan felt like he wasn’t the right person to champion a feminist debate – like if he did that, as a white dude, he might be co-opting and mis-speaking for women when it should be women who get the chance to speak up for their rights. Plus, his actions DID have an impact – it’s all over the media. And I was thrilled that he cared at all about morgan’s comments and announced it publicly…. lots of people won’t even do that. Think how long it took Beyoncé to declare herself a feminist

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