Though
I’ve already distanced myself from Steven Seagal, he just gave me a
reason to go further and condemn him outright. His statement
regarding the NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem
is deplorable.

“I believe in free speech, I
believe that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I don’t
agree that they should hold the United States of America or the world
hostage by taking a venue where people are tuning in to watch a
football game and imposing their political views. I think it’s
outrageous, I think it’s a joke, it’s disgusting. I respect the
American flag. I myself have risked my life countless times for the
American flag and I don’t understand or agree with this kind of
behavior. I think it’s an outrage.” [SOURCE]

Seagal’s
blatant misdirection of the issue, ridiculous hyperbole, and shameless
lying in this circumstance (we’ve been waiting your entire career
for proof of how you ever risked your life, Steve) shows that he has nothing
constructive to add and is merely standing in the way of decency and
justice. Additionally, Seagal’s position reeks of hypocrisy: not
only does he have no problem imposing his own political views when it
suits him, but he’s spent a good portion of his career attempting
to integrate himself into black culture and portray himself as a
friend of the black community. His denunciation of peaceful protests
against police brutality indicate that he’s done with that act. (As
if championing Joe Arpaio and fellow racist
sheriff Harry Lee on his Lawman TV
show wasn’t enough.) Similarly, I’m done with him.

Seagal
is the main reason I found my particular film niche, as I followed
him from his theatrical features into the direct-to-video realm. The book Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven
Seagal helped nudged me towards
film analysis.
However, I’m done talking
about the guy
and his movies, entirely. Steven Seagal has become complicit in the deadly epidemic of racism, and it’s dashed any desire
I have to even remotely further his career. Fuck you, Steven.