"These are the faces of hate. Look closely and post anyone you find. You can’t hide with the internet you pathetic cowards!" Jennifer Lawrence did not mince words today when she shared her public statement regarding the acts of violence and racism this past weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. Entertainment Weekly reports that the 26-year-old Kentucky native shared a to-the-point post on her public Facebook page (her only form of social media), an act she saves for only the political statements, like this one, or for clearing up rumors, like the time that video was leaked of her dancing on a stripper pole.
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But of course, this timely message comes with a lot more backlash than many of the Oscar winner's other Facebook posts. While it's only been a few hours since she uploaded the aforementioned message, the comment section is already flooded with people on both sides, some criticizing her for speaking out and others questioning her motives (which makes no sense — staying silent is the worst anyone could do at a time like this).
One commenter wrote, "Stay out of politics and make me my new hunger games movie!!!" while another said "You live in a country with free speech, not what ever appeals to your fragile sense of snowflake-ism." The most critical comments seem to echo last week's Breitbard-led conspiracy theory regarding Lawrence's September Vogue cover.
These hateful reactions reveal just another layer of the complexities of the politics in 2017. It's a dark, dark place and it really matters how we interact with each other on the internet. While calling these white men holding tiki torches and flags with literal swastikas on them "pathetic cowards" may be name-calling — what else would you call them? They are literally racists.
Lawrence is far from the only celebrity reacting to the violence in the Virginia town that led to the mayor declaring a state of emergency. Brie Larson, Lena Dunham, and Mahershala Ali, to name a few, have also publicly spoken out against the violence that unfolded this past weekend.
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