Maddox Commentary-Christopher Reeve was an asshole

[Guest Shoes Head]

Christopher Reeve was an Asshole - By Maddox

 

Christopher Reeve  is  was an asshole.

 

For those of you who don't know, Christopher Reeve is the guy who played "Superman" in all four coma-inducing movies during the 80's. Before I even get started about his injury, I'd like to point out that "the curse of Superman" is bullshit, and I'd love nothing more than to punch the guy who came up with it. Just like the E! True Hollywood Stories "curse of The Little Rascals," it's much publicized Hollywood trash. Half the time they try to pass off a tragic event due to a "curse," it turns out that the actors died at the age of 86. Yeah real tragic, dumbass. An actor got murdered or paralyzed after living a healthy youth? Excuse me while I shit myself in awe at the mysterious power of the curse.

 

In 1995 "the curse" struck Reeve as he was riding a horse called "Eastern Express." The horse was running around, trying to get the gangly asshole off of his back when he finally came to an abrupt stop before a jump, leaving Reeve's shit in ruins. Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down after the accident (more like conspiracy, another reason to add horse to the dinner menu).

 

 

Why is Reeve an asshole?

 

Simple: because he's selfish. Reeve didn't give a shit about paralysis before his accident, but now that he's paralyzed, suddenly he opens up a paralysis foundation and cares about the plight of cripples? Where was his foundation in '95 when he played the role of a man with spinal cord injury? Sure, some of you might argue that he's doing a good thing by bringing attention to paralysis, but the underlying message being sent here is that nobody gives a shit about cripples until a celebrity becomes one.

 

What really pisses me off about Reeve is the sheer arrogance. Look up a Reeve biography and you'll find praise like "he has now found new meaning in life." Let me tell you something: any time you find new meaning in life because of a debilitating injury, your "old" life didn't have much meaning. Paralysis could strike anyone at any time, and if you're living your life in such a way that all your goals require the use of your arms and legs, then your life probably doesn't mean much to begin with. I'm sure people who were born paralyzed don't appreciate being told that their lives "have meaning too," as if they need affirmation from people who spend most of their lives working to pay off stupid bullshit like sports cars, expensive houses, and other junk that they don't need.

 

The "still living life to the fullest" doctrine pisses me off even more because you can almost hear a voice in your head that finishes off the sentence with "...as a cripple." What does it mean to "still live life to the fullest"? Why should it require any extra effort or energy, or the addition of the word "still" in front if you were living your life "to the fullest" to begin with? What can physical mobility afford you that pure thought can't alone? It's so gracious of Mr. Reeve to acknowledge that you can "still" live a meaningful life, even as a cripple. I'm sure that people who struggle with paralysis every day are exuberant at having someone champion their cause, it's just too bad that Reeve is in all likelihood doing it because he cares about himself first and foremost. Would he have opened up a paralysis foundation before the accident? Doubtful. Of course, we can never know for sure, but the fact remains that he didn't open up a foundation before the accident, and he poured his heart and soul into research afterwards, so the only conclusion that can be made is that he's doing it simply because he himself needs treatment.

 

The fact that he's helping thousands of people as he helps himself is a side effect of his cure; not necessarily his intention. I have little doubt that Mr. Reeve would work as hard to find a cure for paralysis if he was one of only a hand full of victims, so I don't think he deserves praise for this "good deed," because if it was intentional on his part to help these people, he probably would have had a paralysis foundation before the accident occurred.

 

I didn't have any beef with Reeve before his accident, but it's the praise he collects for his selfishness that makes him an asshole in my book. If tomorrow Reeve selflessly dedicated all of his time and effort--or even half of it--towards finding a cure for cancer or heart disease, he'd have my respect (not that he's trying to earn my respect, but having my respect is an awesome privilege). Hell, he'd earn my respect if he just cut the condescending bullshit for a few minutes, such as this prize quote "I've noticed that there are very few roles for people in chairs... I would like to see people with disabilities featured sympathetically." No shit? As opposed to all those other movies that show people with disabilities being demonized? Like it happens so often anyway. Why should people with disabilities be featured any more sympathetically than people without disabilities? If his goal is to live a normal life, how normal could his life be if all his future roles were "sympathetic"? Oh look, here comes the cripple, everyone act sympathetic regardless of the plot, because real life cripples never experience conflict or drama. If I were in a wheel chair, I'd want an ass kicking role where I would spend the entire movie running over people's fingers and tossing old ladies off of cliffs, not some suck-ass sissy role where I'd sit around and cry like a pussy.

 

Before you send me email bitching about me picking on cripples, ask yourself the following question: why is it any more acceptable to pick on non-cripples? Sounds like discrimination to me. If you're the type of person who would be offended by an article picking on Christopher Reeve without giving second thought to other celebrities I've picked on, chances are good that you're racist*.

 

*Note: I know that "race" doesn't have anything to do with being crippled. I'm just connecting the dots here people, quit emailing me.

[Red Baron 0]

C'mon that is a classic.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Thing is I agree with him -- Fuck Christopher Reeve.

 

So I guess not only did Bush keep you in that wheelchair he killed you, too? Fucking bitch. I wasn't going to say this in the Movies thread because I didn't want to flame-bait, so thanks for posting this thread.

 

And I laughed my ass off at the picture...

[Downhome 0]

Whoa KKK, what is this about Bush?

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Whoa KKK, what is this about Bush?

Well Bush isn't a fan of stem cell research or whatever, which Reeve believe could have helped him. I guess what he's trying to say is that Reeve (I don't know, I'm guessing) felt that as a result Reeve was blaming Bush for keeping him in a wheelchair or something.

 

And that article is like a year old. It isn't like he wrote it now (although I wouldn't put it past him).

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

POV pretty much summed up that whole piont. And Reeve said that regarding Bush...

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

kkktookmybabyaway is very passionate about things.

[Guest Shoes Head]

Reeve would often try to sneak his other political stances in whenever he would be given an opportunity to speak on stem cell research. If you give him 5 minutes too long, you'd get his stance on abortion, the economy, and public schooling too.

[Guest Shoes Head]

And that article is like a year old. It isn't like he wrote it now (although I wouldn't put it past him).

He put it to the front of his page with the new title "WAS" an asshole instead of "is."

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

The other thread is way more tasteless.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I'm surprised I didn't take him in the Dead Pool I'm in. I would've been set with also having Dangerfield and Reagan.

[Downhome 0]

Well Bush isn't a fan of stem cell research or whatever, which Reeve believe could have helped him. I guess what he's trying to say is that Reeve (I don't know, I'm guessing) felt that as a result Reeve was blaming Bush for keeping him in a wheelchair or something.

D'oh, I forgot about all of that, thanks.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'm surprised I didn't take him in the Dead Pool I'm in. I would've been set with also having Dangerfield and Reagan.

I'm holding out for The Pope and Charlton Heston.

[Ted the Poster 0]

The other thread is way more tasteless.

Why did Christopher Reeve fall off of his horse?

 

The saddle was made of Kryptonite!

[AndrewTS 0]

And that article is like a year old. It isn't like he wrote it now.

Yeah, I saw it before, including that picture.

 

Ironically, I got MKD with the bonus disc that has MK1 on it.

 

Superman IV is an example of his politics even before the accident--partially written by Reeves, shows that he was not only liberal, but one of those dopey, childish liberals who believes the answers to the world's problems are SO DAMN SIMPLE why didn't anyone think of them before?

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

ANDREWTS YR POST IS TOTALLY LOLLERSKATES

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

ROFLCOPTER!!!!

[Ted the Poster 0]

"Witnesses living nearby have said that they saw Gene Hackman leave the Reeve house with a glowing green pillow in hand..."

[Dr. Tom 0]

Meatwad: 0-2

[Ted the Poster 0]

<-- Is not good at writing jokes on the fly.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

That was pretty funny, but there's a flaw in his argument.

 

He harps on about why didn't Reeve start a foundation for crippled people before his accident, but by that logic why hasn't the author of this article started one? I haven't started one...does that make me an asshole? Now granted neither him nor I have the money to start one, but then why hasn't all of hollywood started one? They're all assholes!

[Guest SP-1]

Maddox has never cared about logic. Ever.

 

He writes for attention and comedy. Little else. If there were a presidential party for just being a jerk, Maddox would be a candidate. But at least he's good at being a jerk. And does have funny moments.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

Maddox is overrated. Seanbaby > Maddox

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

He harps on about why didn't Reeve start a foundation for crippled people before his accident, but by that logic why hasn't the author of this article started one? I haven't started one...does that make me an asshole? Now granted neither him nor I have the money to start one, but then why hasn't all of hollywood started one? They're all assholes!

 

Neither you nor Maddox are crippled. That's his point. The only reason Reeve started the foundation was because he was cripped, not because he had a genuine love for crippled people. Thus, Maddox argues, it was self-serving.

 

I don't see any problem with the logic in that argument.

[Guest MikeSC]

He harps on about why didn't Reeve start a foundation for crippled people before his accident, but by that logic why hasn't the author of this article started one? I haven't started one...does that make me an asshole? Now granted neither him nor I have the money to start one, but then why hasn't all of hollywood started one? They're all assholes!

 

Neither you nor Maddox are crippled. That's his point. The only reason Reeve started the foundation was because he was cripped, not because he had a genuine love for crippled people. Thus, Maddox argues, it was self-serving.

 

I don't see any problem with the logic in that argument.

If he was self-serving, he would not have started a foundation and would have simply used his money to help himself alone.

-=Mike

...Who won't even pretend to have given two shits about Reeve's career...

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

If he was self-serving, he would not have started a foundation and would have simply used his money to help himself alone.

-=Mike

 

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but starting a foundation to find a cure for paralysis is helping himself, isn't it?

[Guest SP-1]

Yes. But not exclusively helping yourself. Once you are in someone else's shoes, genuine compassion is more easily found. Simply because it took Reeves becoming crippled to appreciate crippled people doesn't take away from the fact that when he started the foundation, it was likely based out of a true sense of compassion.

[Guest Shoes Head]

it was likely based out of a true sense of compassion.

For himself.

[Guest SP-1]

it was likely based out of a true sense of compassion.

For himself.

Because self absorption dictates one gives one-self to a bigger cause rather than hoard one's own money and resources to tend to oneself.

 

Gotcha.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Except it wasn't as if the research done by his money would exclusively benefit him. It's hardly an act of compassion. Just because he's sharing the information that the researchers figure out makes him no more commendable.