Actor Tim Robbins: Covid Mandates Turned People Into 'Tribal, Angry, Vengeful People'
Robbins shows once again he’s not afraid to think for himself. That’s a rare quality not just in Hollywood, but anywhere.
Actor Tim Robbins recently sat down with comedian Russell Brand. The 64-year-old actor, whose film credits include starring roles in The Shawshank Redemption, Bull Durham, and Mystic River, is known for his left wing political views.
At one point during his discussion with Brand he explains his feelings on lockdowns and what can perhaps best be described as the Covid-19 hysteria that took hold in 2020 and 2021. I’ve transcribed his statement here:
“We went into lockdown with healthy people, and with children. That did not seem to be wise to me.
I’m not a scientist. I’m not a doctor. I don’t know the intricacies of data on this. All I can respond to this is as someone who is concerned about what the result of those doctrines, those policies, had on us as human beings. And it’s not good. We turned into tribal, angry, vengeful people. I don’t think that’s something that’s sustainable for the earth. That we start demonizing people that don’t agree with our particular health policies, and turn them into monsters. Turn them into pariahs. Say that they don’t deserve a hospital bed.
I think about people who have made bad mistakes in their lives. They take too many drugs and they overdose. That is totally their choice, that’s totally their responsibility. Yet we take care of them. Yet we bring them to the hospital. Yet we save their lives. Because we’re compassionate. Because we want to make sure that people live.
And this turned. It turned into you ‘should f*cking die because you have not complied.’ That is incredibly dangerous.”
I’m not sure I’ve seen a better denunciation of these policies or the mindset that took hold, and I’ve spent a lot of time writing about Covid the last two and half years.
Some might be surprised to hear such sentiments come from Robbins considering his political leanings, but I’m not for two reasons.
First, Robbins is one of the brighter actors you’ll find in Hollywood, and though his politics have always leaned left, he’s never struck me as a partisan person.
Second, Robbins has courage. He’s been consistently anti-war for years and was a vocal critic of Hillary Clinton (which drew the ire of her supporters). That’s not something many Democrats can claim, and it took both principle and courage to take these stands.
The bottom line is that Robbins has consistently shown he’s not afraid to think for himself. That’s a rare quality not just in Hollywood, but anywhere.
Bravo for his courage to speak the truth. Let’s hope it inspires others to do the same.