source, wikimedia commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Angelina_Jolie_(48462857807).jpg hor Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America
We have another celebrity visiting a war-torn country. Angelina Jolie has decided to enter Yemen, a country in the midst of a civil war since 2014. And much like Ukraine, Yemen is in the midst of its own refugee crisis as thousands flee into refugee camps. The Tomb Raider actress, who is there as an ambassador for the United Nations Commission On Human Rights, shared with her fans that she was in the ravaged, temporary capital of Aden to help raise awareness for the plight of displaced Yemenis.
Yemen is in the midst of a brutal and seemingly unending civil war. The details of the Yemeni Civil War are fairly complicated with numerous factions warring with and against each other.
The years-long war has created a massive humanitarian crisis where war crimes and mass starvation are commonplace.
The United States had been involved in multiple sides of the conflict, providing arms to at least two of the warring factions via Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Angelina Jolie and Sean Penn are far from the only celebs to enter an active war zone. In fact, the history of Hollywood stars going to war is a long and illustrious one.
The Golden Era Goes To War
We’ve written about Jimmy Stewart, and others from stars of the Mid-Century going to fight in World War II.
In the old days, celebrities had a patriotic duty to their country and to democracy and were less concerned with their brand. Dozens of Hollywood stars risked their careers to serve our country in its most desperate hours
This one speaks for itself, perhaps one of the most shameful things ever done by an American celebrity. Behind enemy lines, celebrating with those who were murdering our brave men in Vietnam. I’m sure you know the story of Jane Fonda well.
See professional boxing icons the Klitschzko brothers sign-up to defend their home Ukraine made me think of Pat Tillman.
For every Hanoi Jane, there’s a hero like the former NFL star turned soldier.
Tillman was on his way to a storied NFL career when he decided to join the fight in Afghanistan, paying the ultimate price in a move few would ever actually go through.
Of course, 46-year-old Jolie comes by her political savvy and awareness earnestly.
Her father, the legendary Jon Voight, is not afraid to share his thoughts on issues that the media ignores. The Oscar-winner and National Treasure star regularly gives voice to conservative causes on his Twitter and via guest appearances.
Voight even went so far as to voice his displeasure of the media’s apparent ignoring of Hunter Biden’s more seedy dealings and use of racial slurs. Voight eloquently called the younger Biden son “a poor pity of a man, who’s not well, who has done wrong.” Amazingly, the 83-year-old has not been canceled and can be seen on Showtime’s popular crime drama series “Ray Donovan“.
Angelina Jolie herself is not a fan of the Biden family. In fact, the Academy Award winner broke with her Hollywood colleagues to openly criticize President Biden for his complete fumble of the situation in Afghanistan.
“Giving up the idea of a peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, appearing to cut and run, and abandoning our allies and supporters in the most chaotic way imaginable, after so many years of effort and sacrifice, is a betrayal and a failure impossible to fully understand.”
Both Jon Voight and his daughter Angelina Jolie are whip-smart. They understand the world equally well but obviously arrive at different conclusions on a range of issues.
I think it is a recurring theme in my posts where I defend a celebrity it is easy to attack. Call me a slave to pop culture, or just someone who wants to write something different, but I think Angelina Jolie is doing a good deed here.
Jolie going to Yemen in the middle of the Ukraine crisis might seem odd to the average person. But if you know what’s going on in Yemen, it makes more sense.
The Yemeni Civil War has long been off the radar of the world. Ukraine is getting a lot of attention because it is in Europe and against Russia.
It’s easier for Americans (a la American media) to ignore Yemen because it doesn’t involve an established foe or friend. Yemen could get wiped off the face of the Earth tomorrow and it’d garner a fraction of the press your average celebrity gets, unfortunately.
I applaud Angelina Jolie for going to Yemen. Her choice is both brave and incredibly stupid. Maleficent is walking herself right into an active war zone where they are blowing up each other on a daily basis.
I wouldn’t even try to go over there. But she has convictions and is at least trying to use her powers for good. (And she isn’t tweeting or hashtagging her activism – she is living it.)
Share your thoughts on celebrities going into war zones in the comment section below.
Legendary lead guitarist and Richie Sambora left Bon Jovi in 2013. But Sambora, who was…
Jelly Roll’s daughter Bailee is growing up fast and will turn 16 later this month. This…
The Hollywood star Chris Pratt has broken his silence after the death of his longtime…
You may be surprised to learn that Paul McCartney is finally a billionaire. That may…
It was previously reported that the Christian singer Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin…
It was previously reported the comedian Jay Leno's beloved wife Mavis, who he's been married…