Jane Fonda Gave Politically Charged Speech at SAG Awards
This year, the SAG Awards remained relatively free of politics. By and large, people are getting a little tired of politics entering our forms of escapism from the brutal realities surrounding us.
Still, legendary Jane Fonda has never been one to go with the tide – and we’re not talking about the intense Jane Fonda workouts that kept ladies in shape once upon a time.
She’s a woman who knows her own mind and isn’t afraid to use it. Although she dipped her toes into the political waters, it wasn’t too jarring. Let’s take a look at what she said.
Jane Fonda's Speech
You can also consider the fact that she was receiving a lifetime achievement award. If that’s not a free pass to speak your mind, we don’t know what is. We’d say the clincher was this:
Make no mistake, empathy is not weak or woke. And, by the way, woke just means you give a damn about other people.
While she never name-dropped President Trump, it was understood who and what she was alluding to. She went on to say:
A lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way. Even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy and not judge, but listen from our hearts and welcome them into our tent because we’re going to need a big tent to resist successfully what is coming at us.
A Lifetime of Political Activism
It’s unsurprising that she was weaving in bold statements throughout her acceptance speech. The Jane Fonda of today is the same as yesteryear’s beautiful version. And, when you consider Jane Fonda’s age (even though she doesn’t look it), you’ll remember that her political activism goes all the way back to the Vietnam War – which she was boldly in opposition to.
She’s also been a proponent of the civil rights movement, as well as the rights of Indigenous people. In more recent years, you’ll find her advocating for change as it pertains to the global climate crisis.
Her Closing Remarks
To be fair, nothing in Jane’s speech was all that shocking. No matter which side of the line you stand behind, you could frame her closing remarks any way you’d like:
This is it. And it’s not a rehearsal. This is it. And we mustn’t for a moment kid ourselves about what’s happening. This is big-time serious, folks, so let’s be brave.
No harm in that, right? We do need to look out for one another, no matter our beliefs. We’re all in this thing together, aren’t we?
It’s Time to Come Together
What are some of your favorite Jane Fonda movies? In her enormous body of work, is it shameful that ours is Monster-in-Law? Don’t judge us.
We doubt what we see when we Google Jane Fonda’s net worth (which is an astonishing $200 million, by the way) can be attributed to that Michael Vartan and J-Lo masterpiece.
Still, what do say we pour some Pinot tonight, enjoy our favorite film, and raise a glass to the fact that we’re all in this together? She’s not wrong in telling us to band together. Let’s just hope we push the political lines aside and walk the walk.