# Will any of you boycott 'Mystic River' because Sean Penn kissed Saddam Hussein's ass? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 17, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047 "2003-10-17T16:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/21 "2003-10-17T22:30:34Z")
Whippersnappers. Kids today, spoiled rotten, sez I. You don’t know from rotten Hollywood propaganda lest you view _Green Berets_ with John Wayne. You also missed out Bob Hope’s truly hilarious “hippie” jokes, centering around themes of baths, haircuts and jobs. On the gripping hand, what was that Clint Eastwood movie about the glorious military adventure in Grenada? Oh, those rotten Hollywood elites! How dare they exploit thier celebrity for political advantage! Except for Arnie, of course. That’s different, he’s a real American. Austrian. Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/22 "2003-10-17T22:52:30Z")
I wish everyone in Hollywood would shut the fuck up with their fucking causes. It wouldn’t bother me if they were _informed_ about the cause, but these guys couldn’t be doing much more than finding the most extremist group connected with a cause and browsing through one of their pamphlets. I was against the war, but I must admit that those anti-war celebs drove me nuts, because they were so fucking ignorant about the reasons to oppose the war. None of them were genuine pacifists who objected to a conflict launched by America that wasn’t in self-defense. If they had been, then they would have yelled just as loudly at involvement in Bosnia. No, all they did was trot out the wacko conspiracy theories about oil companies, augmented with a lot of Bush-hate. I can’t remember the last time I thought a Hollywood celebrity sounded intelligent when talking about a political issue, no matter which issue or which side of the aisle they were on. (I don’t know about Arnold, becaue he didn’t seem to say _anything_ in the two-month campaign.) That said, I don’t usually avoid movies because the actors promote ignorant overly-simplified obnoxious agendas. I avoid _movies_ that promote ignorant overly-simplified obnoxious agendas. As this particular flick doesn’t seem to be that (although it’s pretty vague on what the movie _is_ about), I see no reason to go out of my way to avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/23 "2003-10-17T23:48:35Z")
I personally must know the politics of every single person involved with a film before I see it, down to the guy driving the honey truck. If a single person is one of those damn hippy liberal Saddam-fellaters who felt the war was unjustified, then I boycott the film, every newspaper and TV station that advertises the film, everyone who saw the film, and the Dixie Chicks. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/24 "2003-10-18T00:34:00Z")
What exactly did Penn say about Saddam? ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/25 "2003-10-18T00:36:18Z")
I’ll see it, since I live in the New England Area, but I steadfastly refuse to buy any of the action figures. Bizz ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/26 "2003-10-18T00:50:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biffy the Elephant Shrew \* > \*\*Well, if he does that in the movie, I’d rather not see it. \*\* No kidding. And why isn’t that in a spoiler tag? Jeez, thanks for ruining it for me. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/27 "2003-10-18T01:30:28Z")
> [@](#): > > **Guinastasia** : What exactly did Penn say about Saddam? The most memorable bits are “I cannot conceive of any reason why the American people and the world would not have shared with [Iraqis] the evidence of the claim to have weapons of mass destruction… I think that the more information we push for, the more information we are given, the better off we are all going to be and the right thing will happen,” “I think war can be avoided, but obviously it’s going to take enormous commitment on the part of the Iraqi government as well as the United States,” and “Sacrificing American soldiers or innocent civilians in an unprecedented pre-emptive attack on a separate sovereign nation may well prove itself a most temporary medicine.” This is Looney Left™ code for “I think Saddam’s mustache is sexy and I flew all this way just to polish his shoes with the oil on my nose.” Bastard! ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/28 "2003-10-18T03:29:32Z")
Damn, it sounds disturbingly rational to me, not what I would expect from someone who french-kissed Madonna. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/29 "2003-10-18T03:45:43Z")
Britney Spears kissed Saddam’s ass, too? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/30 "2003-10-18T03:54:12Z")
First: Sean Penn was _right_ about Iraq not having WMDs. Second: he didn’t :kiss Hussein’s ass" he just expressed concern for innocent Iraqis. Third: he is probably the best actor currently working in Hollywood. Fourth: A lot of actors with stupid political ideas make good movies (Arnie for instance). Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both happen to _intelligent_ liberals who correctly called bullshit on Bush’s slimy warmongering tactics but none of that really has anything to do with whether they can make good art. Ted Nugent is a giant asshole and a political retard but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his music. Fifth: I just saw _Mystic River_ tonight. It’s a good movie with a knockout performance from Penn. Sixth: Only a fucking asstard boycotts movies because one of the actors happens to have a different political viewpoint. Seventh: The movie was directed by a conservative named Clint Eastwood. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/31 "2003-10-18T12:23:55Z")
Tim Robbins seemed intelligent and informed in all the stuff I’ve seen him in. Especially about the whole _Bull Durham_ Hall of Fame fiasco. I liked it when he said no one should boycott the HoF over it and he himself still planned to go there. Just because he was a fan. If you want to see a fucking GREAT Penn movie, check out [U-Turn](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120399/). But it was directed by another commie pinko anti-american, so you’d probably hate it. BTW, **DtC** , Nugent IS an asshole, but I like him anyway. Only that last line was directed at **DtC**. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/32 "2003-10-18T15:00:52Z")
If you want to boycott anyone for non-American ideals, don’t forget about Jane Fonda. Don’t forget her mocking American POWs in North Vietnam. Don’t forget how she spat at (or on) them, don’t forget how she called them “baby killers,” and don’t forget those photographs of her, in NV uniform, sitting on the firing seat of an anti-aircraft weapon. Compared to Jane Fonda, Sean Penn is a lightweight in the political arena. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/33 "2003-10-18T15:05:34Z")
Naw. I won’t watch it 'cause it looks stupid. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/34 "2003-10-18T15:13:06Z")
I’ll never see anything directed by Michael Moore because he was such an ass at the Academy Awards. I’ll never see a Woody Allen movie again because he’s creepy. Ditto for Roman Polanski. I’ll never put money in Barbra Streisand’s pockets by supporting her movies or cd’s not because she’s a liberal as much as because she’s just hateful. And Alec Baldwin – well, if he ever managed a comeback, he can forget my support. So, yeah, I do boycott for various reasons. However, I don’t boycott just because I disagree with them. Sean Penn’s okay. So is Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. They are out in left field at times but they seem to be motivated by the desire to change things for the better as opposed to just complaining ad nauseum about their opponents. That being said I have no desire to see “Mystic River” because the whole premise is just so depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/35 "2003-10-18T15:29:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*What exactly did Penn say about Saddam? \*\* In addition to **Larry Mudd** ’s quote, he also said: ‘‘I think there’s probably two legitimate places for Saddam Hussein: it’s either Bellevue or a meat grinder… This man’s a horror and a criminal, there’s no question about it.’’ See? Major ass-kissing going on here. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/36 "2003-10-18T15:35:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > **that said, what you choose to do w/your $$ is your business - but may I ask, did you check the philosophical leanings and beliefs of everyone else in that movie? Everyone in every movie? how on earth do you have the time to go to movies in the first place?** Suppose the answer is no. So what? Do I have to have perfect information to make a decision? Of course not. Why do I need to be concerned about every person in every movie? We are only talking about the people in this movie. > [@](#): > > Until I’m convinced that, for example, “only” liberals worked on this or that project, (and since in the US it’s illegal to discriminate based on political ideology in employment, it’ll be tough to do), Do you have a cite for the proposition that discrimination based on political ideology is illegal outside of the government context? Is it your position that I can not refuse to hire a neo-nazi because of his political beliefs? I suggest that you are incorrect. > [@](#): > > I find these types of arguements silly no matter who is making them. Refuse to buy Dixie Chicks cd’s 'cause you don’t like their music, but refusing 'cause Natalie dissed the pres and/or Toby also takes $$ from the others working on the project, no matter what their views are. So, if your gripe is that you don’t want **your** dollars going into so and so’s pocket 'cause you don’t like their political beliefs, remember, you may be punishing people with exactly your same beliefs at the same time (and the reverse is also true - Toby Keith probably has some one on **his** projects who has different beliefs). I disagree with this line of thinking. Sure, if no more Dixie Chick albums are ever made, some people other than the Dixie Chicks themselves might suffer. (Though I think that is probably debateable). But that isn’t the point. Any form of protest is unlikely to only effect the target, but I don’t think that is a justification for not protesting. Personally, like **friedo** , I won’t watch Roman Polanski movies, because I find the man repugnant. He may be a great film maker, but I choose not to watch his work. That choice probably impacts the camera man as much or more than Polanski himself. Am I being silly? > [@](#): > > Especially at the movie level. good grief, do you have any idea how many people work on a movie? Sean/Tim are only two of the actors (and there’s 4 main parts -did you check out the politics of Clint, Kevin and Kevin as well???) Again, so what? Let’s assume that the other actors are all big time Bush supporters, how does that impact the decision not to support Sean Penn? Remember a few years ago when Denny’s was in hot water for discrimination, were the people who boycotted Denny’s wrong to do so because the guy who grows the chickens who supply the eggs didn’t personally agree with Denny’s discrimination? I don’t think so. Personally, I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan, and I would like to see this movie, but I find Tim Robbins and Sean Penn to be insufferable, and so I probably won’t see it. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by DMark_ > **When did the facists make it illegal to have a differing political viewpoint?** How can you possibly be this stupid? Who said anything about it being illegal to have a different political viewpoint? Do you really equate the free decision to not see a movie with the actions of a facist government? If so, I suggest you seek an education forthwith. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/37 "2003-10-18T15:36:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*What exactly did Penn say about Saddam? \*\* In addition to **Larry Mudd** ’s quote, he also said: ‘‘I think there’s probably two legitimate places for Saddam Hussein: it’s either Bellevue or a meat grinder… This man’s a horror and a criminal, there’s no question about it.’’ See? Major ass-kissing going on here. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/38 "2003-10-18T16:55:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Re: Will any of you boycott ‘Mystic River’ because Sean Penn kissed Saddam Hussein’s ass? > Well, if he does that in the movie, I’d rather not see it. “Saddam, why do you always want to make love to me from behind? Is it that you’re pretending that I’m someone else?” “Satan, your ass is huge and red. Who am I gonna pretend you are? Liza Minnelli?” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/39 "2003-10-18T17:05:48Z")
Thanks for sharing, **Matt**. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047/40 "2003-10-18T18:37:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragline \* > \*\*I’m thinking I will pass on this movie because of Sean Penn’s (and Tim Robbins, for that matter) doofus attempt to interfer with the Iraq war. \*\* interfer? **interfer**!? Did he deploy a 80,000 of his private army to break things up or something? Or maybe he had his legions of intergalatic spaceships distrupt military satellite communications? I must have missed something, I thought he just voiced his personal opposition. Now I know he was actually attempting to **interfer** and spoil it for everyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-any-of-you-boycott-mystic-river-because-sean-penn-kissed-saddam-husseins-ass/208047.md?page=3)