Cool Videos: Celebrity gun-control PSA re-edited to show hypocrisy

January 3rd 2013, 7:51am

Well, this one walks the line of “cool” in terms of Cool Videos, but it’s something worth sharing regardless. It’s most definitely controversial and could be potentially offensive, depending on your own views. That said, I think it’s worth sharing as it’s rather hard to dispute once you see the evidence. But, I’ll leave that up to you.

As is usually the case after a tragedy, such as the recent shooting violence in the U.S., celebrities have rallied together for a talking head PSA telling you exactly what you should be doing in the wake of such an event. The movement is called Demand A Plan and is headed by 800 mayors across the U.S. to come up with a plan to end gun violence. Their spokespeople? Everyone from DJANGO UNCHAINED star Jamie Foxx, THE BOURNE LEGACY‘s Jeremy Renner, THE TOWN‘s Jon Hamm, and numerous others, including Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Peter Dinklage, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Silverman, Adam Scott, Cameron Diaz, and more.

Then, YouTube uploader “Mike Hunt” (not to be confused with Haywood J. Blowmie), a gun rights advocate who claims to have no affiliations, decided to make a few edits to the original PSA (with both a clean and explicit version), the results of which are quite sobering. It’s one thing to have a celebrity advocate for something, but it’s another entirely to see them replicating the very actions they wish to stop. I’ll save my own views on the subject and let you guys have at it.

Demand…hipocrisy?:

“When I first saw the original video plastered on the front-page of Youtube I was immediately struck by the irony of their entire campaign,” said “Hunt” to EW via email. “Here are a bunch of vapid Hollywood celebrities attempting to shame the public into submitting to more gun control. Their entire industry profits from a culture of violence and gun entertainment. I was really surprised at the amount of positive responses and feedback the video has received. Hopefully a few of these ‘stars’ see it and maybe turn the microscope back on their hypocritical industry.”

“Hunt” may be on to something.

Here’s the original PSA: