The interview was for Aol’s PopEater and the comments in question came as the discussion turned to Redford’s great film Quiz Show (if you haven’t seen that one, you’re missing out) about the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. Here’s what he had to say and how it got back to Mama Grizzlie:
“REDFORD: I felt like in that moment in history the quiz shows and the scandal that came, at that moment entertainment got exposed but academia got exposed, the corruption. The sad thing is it didn’t hurt entertainment, it hurt academia.
POPEATER: Well I find it sad that Sarah Palin insinuates that higher education is elitist. I can’t work that one out.
REDFORD: Well, I can because the country is made up of three categories. Traditionalists, cultural creative people and the moderns. The moderns are the hi-tech Silicon Valley people. The traditionalists on the lower end of it are the people who don’t want change, they’re afraid of change therefore they have anger. The fear card is a very big powerful card and when you have people afraid of change; they’ll do anything to prevent it. They’re doing it because they’re limited, frightened of people who are not as limited. I think Sarah Palin, part of her strength is how limited she is.”
So essentially Redford is saying that Palin is popular with stupid people because they are not intimidated by her intelligence.
You know now that I think about it, I am pretty sure that was NOT a compliment. But since Palin is so stupid she will probably take it as one.
(P.S. I liked Quiz Show, but I am a much bigger fan of The Sting, The Last Castle, All the President's Men, The Candidate, the Natural, and of course my favorite, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The man is a national treasure.)
That was so creative of him! I can tell you that I would be disappointed if Robert Redford described me that way. That was not a compliment. :)
ReplyDeleteOoohh! RAM will be working her chubby fingers to the bone, insulting Redford. How DARE he make such a comment about her idol? I do not read her blog, twitter, or any other communications she uses, but from what I have heard, Robert hit that one on the head. Uneducated, illiterate, gun-toting MORANS (to use a T-bagger term)
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the honest truth.
ReplyDeleteShe can't see beyond what she knows, and what she knows is not very much!
So she peddles fear instead.
Sums it up quite nicely.
I am still waiting to see her college diploma! That university must be mortified every time she opens her mouth and and makes a mockery of the English language.
They gave her a Journalism degree and this is the best she can do???
They are not his best, but I like "Brubaker" and "Downhill Racer."
ReplyDelete"Brubaker" was based on a former Alaska prison reformer and what happened after he moved on.
"Downhill Racer" sympathetically skewers the bubble around alpine racing.
Without a doubt he insulted her and her followers.
ReplyDeleteIf all the 1987 graduates of University of Idaho return their degrees.. then Sarah can be the valedictorian of her class.
ReplyDeleteThis will impress Redford
lOL Priceless.
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin: Queen of stupid people. But she doesn't really care about titles.
"Hollywood Life" is reporting that Palin is renwing her restraining order against Shawn Christy. She claims he is threatening to rape her daughter. Did not say which one, but seems to be Willow. Claims he calls the house, Chuckles said they all armed themselves. Maybe he wants this kid's head for his trophy wall? Christy's family had better keep close tabs on whewre he is at all times, he could be framed for something he did not do. Maybe Willow is pregnant, and they can claim "rape" but being such wonderful Christians, will keep the baby.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved this guy!!
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase Anthony Michael Hall's character in Sixteen Candles: She's the Queen of the dipshits.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is one smart man for a creative. Philistine's like the Heath/Palin and the people who support her wouldn't care or understand the importance of the creative until they realize it would cripple their ability to come up with "Drill, Baby, Drill" and put it on a bumper sticker or a decorative refrigerator magnet.
ReplyDeleteThere was this great PSA about ten years ago with this braniac child with no imagination who when passing a guitar player on the sidewalk said, "Get a job."
That's these folks, afraid of change and angered that people have talents that are measured in the joy they experience and share with others that doesn't look like "hard work." But then that doesn't explain Sarah Palin. She gets immense joy from being recognized, from not being a 'nobody' and whatever her supporters thinks she contributes to the national dialog - well, I guess that's art?
The camera's made this woman a political influence, it had absolutely nothing to do with her qualifications, her skills and her intelligence.
He's done more for the American Indian / Alaska Native people than Sarah and First Dude (Yup'ik)man would ever imagine doing.
ReplyDeleteAs long as they got theirs, they could give a flying fig about Todd's and Sarah's children's "People."
"I think Sarah Palin, part of her strength is how limited she is.”
ReplyDeleteNever truer words spoken.
The pride that goes with this quality is unnerving.
His new movie, "The Conspirator", about the assassination of Lincoln, opens tomorrow. It looks fabulous and Redford is the director. He's been "making the rounds" publicising the movie when he made that remark about the three parts of American society.
ReplyDeleteHe did sum up the truth of the matter. These Palin-fans and TeaBaggers are just plain scared. They're scared about that awful, brilliant black man in the White House, where they were never scared about that incredibly vile white team of Cheney/Bush when they were in office, even though those two white guys caused unbelievable damage to our once-great country.
I'd feel sorry for them if I could round up even one ounce of pity.
"...They’re doing it because they’re limited, frightened of people who are not as limited. I think Sarah Palin, part of her strength is how limited she is.”
ReplyDeleteHey, Gryph...
I believe that Redford was diplomatically saying that Palin is an idiot. Just do a fill-in-the-blank for the words "strength" and "limited" and nearly anything fits:
"...part of her _________ is how ___________ she is.”
Part of her attraction is how venal she is.
Part of her stupidity is how vile she is.
Part of her attraction to stupid people is how mean-spirited she is.
and so forth...
Please put me on the follow-up comments list.
ReplyDeleteI spit my coffee on the screen when I read, "I think Sarah Palin, part of her strength is how limited she is.”
ReplyDeleteIn other words, she isn't bright enough to know that she is an absolute idiot!!
I agree with Redford's assessment of Palin, but I think he was a little condescending in his assessment of traditionalists on "the lower end of things" being afraid of change. Can I just say that we on the left have got to stop being such automatic snobs about people who desperately want to hold onto "the way things used to be"? Even if they never really were like that?
ReplyDeleteBecause I live among rural people, and I can tell you, the reason why they are afraid of change is because they have been fucked over and over and over again by banks, big business, and a government that has systematically allowed this.
I think a lot of us have forgotten about the farm crises in the eighties, where millions of farmers lost everything in the world because of greedy conglomerates and an accomplice government. Clinton didn't do anything to repair Reagan's damage, either...he just kept signing off on job vanishing trade agreements.
We are not going to make headway in getting people to embrace the kind of change that puts power back in the hands with the working and middle class again with the kind of narrow view that Redford just tossed off.
Sarah and her followers, dumb and dumber.
ReplyDelete"My name is Sarah Palin and I am the stripmall of nonsense"
ReplyDelete~Canuck~
Gryphen: "So essentially Redford is saying that Palin is popular with stupid people because they are not intimidated by her intelligence."
ReplyDeleteI wish that was what he was saying because it's fucking hilarious and true. Unfortunately, what he came across as saying appeared to be condescending as hell against anyone who isn't "high tech" or "culturally creative." In fact, he referred to these people as being "on the lower end of things."
If he had just said Sarah Palin followers and left it at that, I would have heartily applauded his comments.
(And yes, I'm the same poster who commented earlier on why the left has got to stop making generalized cracks at people who aren't on the left. There are some real reasons why these people are aggrieved, and the left would win them over by fighting for them instead of making fun of them.)
anon @ 5:32, I did laugh at Redford's comment, but I have to agree that you have a very good point.
ReplyDeletesadly, those good middle America folk are being fucked over once again: by none other than Sarah Palin. She's picking their pockets clean only to pave her own future. Hers is a politics of fear- she knows what is in the hearts of "plain folk" and she's keen to exploit it. The evidence is in what she has NOT done. She has the stage to be a grand advocate, but the podium is empty. Palin only takes the stage when the payola serves her.
Gryphen, this charge against Christy has backfired bigtime. Check out the latest news stories and the comments.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1376824/Sarah-Palins-pregnancy-just-presidential-campaign-WAS-hoax-claims-academic.html#ixzz1JVN6N52o
I tshoudl take a day or two for a twitter tweet from the twat as she works that one out. She doesn't grasp subtlety quickly.
ReplyDelete@anon 5:55 am...you are right that Palin is picking their pockets, as do a lot of holy roller cults, militia/survivalist fear-mongers, the NRA, and basically a whole array of parasites who feed off the fear and confusion of people who have been financially raped over and over again. And, you are right that Palin offers nothing in return to these people other than a chance to amp up their rage. It is sad, but we also need to understand that if the government and the Democratic Party had gotten to these people first, things might have turned out differently. Instead, a very unsavory crowd stepped in to fill the void.
ReplyDeleteI'd feel worse about what Redford said about the "traditionalists" if so many of them weren't racist, anti-choice, non-thinking fools. I lived and worked in the rural south for five years and I can tell you, it's hard to feel sorry about people who gleefully display the confederate flag.
ReplyDeleteAnd, let's not forget that most of us on the left have also been screwed over by the government and big business (as have our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.), yet we don't want to turn back the clocks to a time when women and people of color had fewer rights. Not to mention the fact that these "traditionalists" are being led by the nose by big business neo-cons and their evangelical buddies.
Sure, Redoford's missing a category of non-high tech, non-culturally creative, non-reactionary people, but I think his larger point is 100% valid.
Sarah Palin has called us elitists (for valuing education and intelligence) and unAmerican (for a variety of reasons) and implied that we are "baby killers" to the nodding heads of many "traditionalists." I find it very difficult to hold my tongue out of sympathy for their plight.
redford is correct. I would have added: and we can thank reagan for making these people feel like their ignorance and fear should be just as respected as other people's intelligence and courage. that's the time period when their viewpoints began to have equal weight in the public sphere. reagan f-ed this country in more ways than one, for sure.
ReplyDeleteanon @ 5:32 am sez:
ReplyDelete"I agree with Redford's assessment of Palin, but I think he was a little condescending in his assessment of traditionalists on "the lower end of things" being afraid of change."
I think we should not worry about being condescending in this case. these people that redford is referring to are the same ones who are responsible for holding the rest of us back. f that, I am tired of it. society needs to advance and these people fight it every step of the way. these are the same people who are poisoning the discourse with 'obama is a kenyan/socialist/communist' bullshit. f them. they need to evolve.
it's one of those things that no matter how nicely he (or anyone) tries to put it, it's going to sound condescending because of the simple nature of the topic. but it needs to be said repeatedly because society needs to make clear that basing opinions on ignorance and fear (the irrational subconscious) is irresponsible to the rest of us and is unacceptable.
5:32, I get your point, but the reality is that only DEMOCRATS have stood up for those folk and in spite of this, they have abandoned the Democratic party by buying into the politics of fear played by the Right.
ReplyDeleteAnon: "I'd feel worse about what Redford said about the "traditionalists" if so many of them weren't racist, anti-choice, non-thinking fools."
ReplyDeleteBut they might not be that to such a degree if the Democratic Party had consistently made a stand for them. Yes, I know there was always racism in the South, but I think it would have abated a lot more if the Democrats had refused to roll over for Reagan, Clinton, and Bush's policies that screwed things up so badly for the rural part of America. But Dems have become corporate whores, too. Not the rank and file Democrats, but the powerful party leaders and politicians.
And without a strong legitimate voice of opposition to economic policies that hurt Americans, a very bad crowd stepped in to fill the void. Rural people like farmers were perhaps more susceptible for a variety of reasons, but I think it could have been prevented.
Anon at 7:46 am: "5:32, I get your point, but the reality is that only DEMOCRATS have stood up for those folk and in spite of this, they have abandoned the Democratic party by buying into the politics of fear played by the Right."
ReplyDeleteSadly, I don't see how Democrats have adequately stood up for them. Even now, Democrats are urging we do away with farm subsidies, not just subsidies for the agri-giants that don't need them, but the small family farms who really do. Nor have Democrats done a damn thing to bust up the agri-monopolies that indenture the small family farmer into basically corporate slaves. And, Democrats have done little to correct our horrible global trade policies.
Oh sure, the Democratic Party is far more sane than the GOP. But, sadly, it's also less liberal than, say, Eisenhower's GOP party was. Hell, then Nixon was.
Progressives are going to have to transform the Democratic Party to change this.
By the way, there is a situation unfolding right now where the Democratic Party could be standing up for disenfranchised people in the South: the Gulf fishermen whose livelihoods have been destroyed by the BP spill.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly are they doing in that regard? I just read an article about fishermen traveling all the way to London to confront BP officials. Why are they having to do that? Why isn't the Obama Administration and Democratic Party making damn sure this company pays for what they did???
This is my point, opportunity after opportunity has gone by where we could have stepped in and helped people before a bunch of anti-government nuts step in to further convince them that "government is the problem."
I was going to say - it was not a compliment, but a fact as to Mrs. Palin. She is intimidated by people smarter...plus, she has so, so many other problems that reflect what a screwed up mess she is!
ReplyDeleteI am testing my new Google account to see if the correct username shows up; please bear with me. Gracias.
ReplyDelete