"Better To Be Quiet and Have People THINK You're A Fool....."

There are a lot of things that make America unique.

One is the amount of importance we give the opinions of celebrities.

And I’m not necessarily talking about the famous and near famous endorsing this or that political candidate, a subject that I’ve already rambled on about in past pieces.

I’m talking about the amount of importance we give to the opinions of celebrities on any and all subjects.

Please turn your hymnals to page sixty-one as we share together…
The Ballad of Sharon Stone.

(CNN) -- Actress Sharon Stone said in a statement Saturday that she "could not be more regretful" of her comments this month regarding the earthquake in China, in which she suggested that the quake was an act of "karma."

"Yes, I misspoke," said the statement released by Stone's publicist and entitled "In my own words by Sharon Stone."

"I could not be more regretful of that mistake. It was unintentional. I apologize. Those words were never meant to be hurtful to anyone," Stone said. "They were an accident of my distraction and a product of news sensationalism."

Okay, this isn’t gonna take long.

First, at the end of the day, does anyone really care what a marginally successful movie actress thinks about world affairs?

I don’t.

At least not any more than I care about the opinion of the local dry cleaner or the kid behind the counter at Starbucks.

Or you.

Every one is, after all, entitled to their opinion.

Although every time a celebrity is quoted about this world event or that, I’m tempted to let my father’s voice come flying out of my mouth.

“If I want your opinion….I’ll give it to you.”

More insidious, though, than the amount of ink that this little tempest in a Chinese teapot is generating (yes, including this piece) is the little “aint that always the way” that gets thrown in.

“……..Those words were never meant to be hurtful to anyone," Stone said. "They were an accident of my distraction and a product of news sensationalism."….

So, let us sum it up short and sweet.

Not only does she does speak about world affairs in a public forum with a resume that easily qualifies her as an expert on the subject, assuming that world affair expertise is the natural result of making a lot of money with a marginal talent and one fairly big hit movie out of a couple dozen shots at it.

But, she cant even take the responsibility for putting her foot in her very likely Botoxed mouth.
“..an accident of my distraction and a product of news sensationalism….”

Let me take a shot at translating that.

“I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was saying because I’m pretty much clueless about anything outside the three mile zone and the news media, sensing my lack of savvy, made a really, like, big deal out of, like, nothing….”

Don’t misunderstand me, kids.

I’m down with listening to perspectives of people whose background, education and life’s work make them legitimate experts on any given subject.

And Sharon Stone, while not fitting that criteria, is, as a citizen of the good old US of A, totally entitled to her opinion.

I just don’t really want to have my world event informational flow muddied up by actors who confuse the ability to pretend for an audience that they are someone important with actually BEING someone important.

Celebrity is fame escalated to a certain degree.
It is not the awarding of a degree.

Sharon’s one big movie testified to her reluctance to keep her legs shut.

It’s unfortunate that same reluctance apparently applies to her mouth, as well.