Gina Carano Controversy

Didn’t think I’d be back to “The Mandalorian” so soon, but here we are….

In case you somehow missed it, some Star Wars fans have been trying to get Gina Carano (‘Cara Dune’) kicked off of “The Mandalorian” because of some controversial tweets she put out over the past few months. There is even a #FireGinaCarano hashtag trending on social media, in response to her Liking of a tweet by conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Ironically, the one who started the campaign — SyFy Fan Grrls Associate Editor Courtney Enlow — had her own publication cancelled.) Carano’s supporters, on the other hand, have countered with #StandWithGinaCarano.

What were the subject(s) of the offensive tweets, you ask?

Carano posted a picture (which I have seen on FB and elsewhere) of a single man refusing to give the Nazi salute during a 1936 Hitler rally. This supposedly meant she was racist, when in fact the image is well-known to be encouraging non-conformism, including against Nazis (who are/were outright racist) and the like.

She refused to use the term “ACAB” or “All Cops Are Bastards”, then called those pressuring her “cowards and bullies.” (I agree.)

She didn’t include her “preferred pronouns” in her Twitter profile; after she got razzed for it, she put “boop/bop/beep”. This supposedly made her — who is strongly anti-bullying — transphobic. The practice was explained to her, and she tweeted, “I didn’t know [the reasons] before but I do now. I won’t be putting them in my bio but good for all you who choose to.”

She shared a meme mocking Democrat leaders that said, “Democratic Government Leaders now recommends we all wear blindfolds along with masks so we can’t see what’s really going on.” God forbid anyone question masking policy or politicians’ motivations! She was also accused of “supporting and defending white supremacists and their extremist ideals whilst voicing her own.” Good grief!

She indicated that she agrees (as do I) that there has been serious voter fraud in the 2020 elections, which needs to be investigated and corrected (if possible). Also, “We need to clean up the election process….”

Will Carano leave social media ‘cuz some people don’t like her? Not freakin’ likely. In a recent interview with YouTuber Drunk3PO, Carano said,

“I’m going to stick around and if my presence bothers you, okay, but also a lot of people are not bothered by my Twitter presence or my social media presence. So I focus more on those people. I bring the fire out in people. I’m not sure why.”

The latest rumor was reported by WDW Pro, who says that the only thing keeping Carano on the show is having Jon Favreau in her corner.

“The problem for all of those who hate Carano based on her worldview and political positions is that Jon Favreau isn’t publicly political… and word on the street is he doesn’t care one iota for the divisiveness…. The question now is whether or not Favreau can protect her — she’s an integral part of his series, and firing her would essentially indicate that conservatives can be purged from Hollywood in a step beyond what we’ve already seen (blacklisting).”

It remains to be seen how true this rumor is, but I certainly hope Carano has the support of someone powerful. If she does get booted from “The Mandalorian”, it wouldn’t be the first time Disney took such action in response to tweets and/or socio-political leanings. A couple examples from 2018 come to mind. Rachel Butera, the voice of Leia Organa in the animated “Star Wars Resistance”, was replaced because she mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. And, of course, director James Gunn was removed from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when decade-old tweets were found of him making offensive/insensitive comments about rape, AIDS, pedophilia, and the Holocaust. In my opinion, the situation with Gunn (who was rehired months later) was a thousand times more concerning than anything Carano has posted.

Personally, I think the haters need to “let it go” and just enjoy the show, fer cryin’ out loud! You don’t have to like everything about an actor to enjoy their performance, and there’s no reason to form a virtual mob to attack those you don’t like. (If I did that, I’d be at it 24/7!) This “cancel culture” crap is toxic and, unfortunately, representative of the dangerous trends that are destroying our nation from the inside out. [End of micro-rant!]