Rob Reiner's violent death is shocking, but no more--in fact, it arguably should be a bit less--shocking than the violent deaths at Brown University and Australia's Bondi Beach, both of which had a higher body count. Interestingly, the All in the Family star and This Is Spinal Tap director did share one characteristic with the Bondi victims. He was Jewish and they were Jewish, but in Reiner's case anti-semitism does not appear to be a motive in his killing (instead, as of this writing, mental illness and the accompanying family strife it so often causes seem to be contributing factors.) Still, Reiner's life is worth your attention not for how it ended but for its contributions to acting and cinema. Eventually it went beyond those art forms. Reiner was every bit as progressive as Mike Stivic, the character he played on AITF. That progressiveness was spun-off not into its own TV show but the real-world body politic. Reiner supported many causes, but I'm going to focus on just one right now. In 2008, Reiner co-found The American Foundation for Equal Rights to help fight California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. "We don't believe in separate but equal in any other legal position except this," he said in explaining how same-sex marriage at the time was outside the Constitution. Thanks to a court battle that Reiner's organization pursued, the Ninth Court of Appeals eventually overturned the proposition. Not bad for a "meathead."
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| 1947-2025 |
Lots of talent with his heart in the right place. A great activist.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, I just hope what you just said isn't overshadowed by Reiner's and his wife's grisly end.
DeleteNow that I think of it, my reply to your comment may be contributing to that overshadowing!
I am only vaguely aware of Reiner, but is it not so odd that what might be seen as the most progressive state in the US, California, had this Proposition 8. Checking...Governor Arnie.
ReplyDeleteBut wait, he was against Proposition 8. Curious.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAndrew, same-sex marriage may seem like a no-brainer now, but even Barack Obama was against it at one time, before his feelings "evolved" on the subject. Then there were things like civil unions which a lot of Democrats once saw as an adequate substitute ("a matter of semantics" as Ralph Nader put it when he ran for President.)
DeleteAs for California politics, this from Wikipedia:
"California has an idiosyncratic political culture compared to the rest of the country, and is sometimes regarded as a trendsetter.[366] In socio-cultural mores and national politics, Californians are perceived as more liberal than other Americans, especially those who live in the inland states. In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, California had the third highest percentage of Democratic votes behind the District of Columbia and Hawaii.[367] In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, it had the 6th highest behind D.C., Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Hawaii. According to the Cook Political Report, California contains five of the 15 most Democratic congressional districts in the U.S.
"California was the second state to recall their state governor, the second state to legalize abortion, and the only state to ban marriage for gay couples twice by vote (including Proposition 8 in 2008). Voters also passed Proposition 71 in 2004 to fund stem cell research, making California the second state to legalize stem cell research, and Proposition 14 in 2010 to completely change the state's primary election process. California has also experienced disputes over water rights; and a tax revolt, culminating with the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, limiting state property taxes. California voters have rejected affirmative action on multiple occasions, most recently in November 2020."
In short, it's complicated.
Such a tragedy. We must resist at all costs becoming numb to these senseless deaths. Where does it end? Is there an end?
ReplyDeleteI have to fight my own numbness, David.
DeleteI admired his talent, principles, and activism. What a sad end to his life and his wife's life.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to wrap one's mind around, Debra.
DeleteSo sad x
ReplyDeleteI know, John.
DeleteI think he was a very good actor and director. A shame for anyone to be murdered 😕 RIP Rob and Michele.
ReplyDeleteBest to focus on his life than his death, Linda.
DeleteHello Kirk, With the recent tragedies at Brown and in Australia, it makes us think once again that we are not safe anywhere and don't know whom to trust. But the Reiners were killed by their own son. Not long ago a father was killed by his Princeton-graduate son when he cut off his $4000 a month allowance. That seemed a little ridiculous at the time, but where are people's moral frameworks that are no longer strong enough to withstand a sudden rage, or even a drug-induced fog, if that was indeed the case here.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Jim, we'll just have to wait for the younger Reiner's trial to learn exactly what happened--and we may not even find out then.
DeleteSorry, Kirk, that anonymous comment was mine. Speaking of things that are hard to understand, why does every blog work differently each time you comment. Some Blogger or Wordpress blogs remember my info, but then I am suddenly back to anonymous. Good systems analysis and programming could take care of this, but anything high-quality seems a chimera in our current tech world.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Jim, I've had that happen to me, even when reply to comments ON MY OWN BLOG. Usually, if I turn off the computer and start it up again, that solves the problem.
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