Young and the Restless Opinion Article
Article by Suzanne 11/19/20
Actor Donny Boaz (Chance) is taking some heat on social media (especially Twitter) because some fans think that he’s too conservative. More specifically, they’re upset that he supports outgoing president Donald Trump. Donny has clicked like on some tweets, and retweeted some tweets, that make it clear that he is a Republican and favors Trump. Some fear that he is a conspiracy theorist. He also follows the president and Ivanka on Instagram, and he follows Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and many other Republicans on Twitter. Also, there are many fans who like him or don’t care about his politics. To be fair, Boaz also follows many liberals on Twitter – and not just ones that he’s worked with.
These Y&R fans believe that if you support Trump, you also must be anti-gay and racist. They’re calling out Boaz and even arguing with him about his conduct on Twitter. Now, let’s make it clear that Donny is not exactly James Woods (an actor who posts constant right-wing things on his Twitter and argues vehemently with people about it; Boaz follows him and sometimes retweets his comments). He has only clicked like on a few posts, and retweeted some posts, like most people do on Twitter. He’s not ashamed of his views, but neither is he confrontational about it. Yes, he supported President Trump when he was elected. We don’t know what he thinks of him now or how he voted.
What this disagreement comes down to is this: if you’re an actor with a particular political opinion, should you be tweeting about it; and if so, do fans have a right to make a fuss about it when they disagree? And should the TV show that you’re on be concerned that your views might conflict with their more inclusive (or at least, centrist) message? After all, most TV show networks are businesses, and they do care about their image and how they’re being represented.
Boaz was born and raised in Waxahachie, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), so he’s bound to be conservative. If you read his social media, it’s clear that he loves football, and he’s religious. In fact, according to his town newspaper, “Boaz graduated from Cornerstone Christian School in Waxahachie in 1998, where he was a standout athlete in football, basketball, cross country and baseball.” He also supports the military. Indeed, he had parts in both “Dallas” and “Six,” but that doesn’t really have anything to do with his point of view. Those jobs just happen to coincide with his views, which you may or may not agree with. Many people who grew up in that area of the country are Republicans (Texas usually votes Republican, as it did in this recent election). Some are not. He was probably raised that way. Most people get their political and religious views from their parents, especially if their parents are very active in their church or more politically engaged.
Like many Texans and Southerners I’ve known, however, Donny is always respectful to his fans on social media. Even those berating him are treated with respect.
When Y&R posted this message, asking fans to show Donny Boaz some love, Cait Fairbanks (Tessa) said “psh,” which is a dismissive remark. And then Camryn Grimes (Mariah) posted an animated GIF that says “that’s my girl.” Both actresses post a lot about politics and are very left-wing, so, judging from this, they apparently have some problem with Donny’s politics as well. I like them both, but perhaps they should have talked to him personally at work instead (unless I’m completely misreading this, and they’re just teasing him, and they really have a good rapport with him). I like both actresses, but that seemed kind of tacky to me.
Personally, I believe that it’s fine for actors to express whatever beliefs they want. However, I don’t think that their viewpoints should affect their jobs, as long as they do their jobs well and they don’t say anything particularly reprehensible. Actors are entitled to be Republicans and support Trump, whether anyone likes it or not…just like actors, such as Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis, GH), are very outspoken about being liberal Democrats and hating Trump. Fans, of course, are free to disagree. Many celebrities have gotten in trouble before for things they’ve said online. Sometimes they lose their jobs because of it – such as Hartley Sawyer (ex-Kyle), who lost his job on “The Flash” because of some old tweets. I really don’t think they should, in general, and their beliefs shouldn’t affect your enjoyment of their work. I think that people who have time to search through old tweets and who’s-clicking-like-on-what really do have too much time on their hands. If you only have friends and followers who agree with exactly everything you do, then you probably won’t have too many friends or followers left. Also, the world would be very boring if we all agreed on everything.
I completely understand the anger that people have about Trump and his supporters, and I understand that people who are LGBTQIA+, women or persons of color feel particularly upset because they’ve been targeted by many on the right, and Republican Senators are slowly taking away their rights. However, I think that our time is probably spent better in fighting for change in positive ways than griping about some daytime actor who is just trying to do his job. Perhaps instead of villifying Donny Boaz, we should be reaching out to better understand him and why he feels the way he does, and he could do the same for us. As President-Elect Joe Biden says, “There’s no place for hate in America.”
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
