Obama to Hollywood: Don't glorify guns
November 26, 2013, 04:58 pm
By Amie Parnes
President Obama urged a room of Hollywood executives and employees on Tuesday to
"think long and hard" about the messages gun violence sends in
movies.
"We gotta make sure that
we're not glorifying it," Obama told the crowd at DreamWorks studio,
adding that movie executives had a "big responsibility" to the
viewing public. "Because the stories you tell shape our children's outlook
and their lives."
Obama, who has sought to push
tougher gun measures after a string of mass shootings across the country,
briefly touched upon meetings Vice President Biden had with Hollywood
executives earlier this year. "Those conversations need to continue,"
he said. "The stories we tell matter," he continued.
On the final day of a three-day
trip to the West Coast, the president trumpeted the uptick of the economy,
touting the entertainment industry as "one of America's economic engines."
"Entertainment is one of the
bright spots of the economy," he said.
Obama sought to pivot away from
the rash of negative headlines that have plagued his administration's botched
HealthCare.gov website. He blamed Congress for "all the dysfunction and
obstruction in Washington."
Seizing on the opportunity to
crack a joke before a Tinseltown audience, Obama made a "Godfather"
joke, saying Marlon Brando had it easy: "Because when it comes to
Congress, there's no such thing as an offer they can't refuse."
Obama's visit to DreamWorks has
come under criticism in recent days.
Visual artists planned to protest
outside the Glendale
studio on Tuesday to voice their concerns about the outsourcing of jobs.
The president has also been
criticized for visiting DreamWorks, which is owned by Jeffrey Katzenberg, a
major campaign donor.
"DreamWorks obviously is a thriving business and is creating lots of
jobs in Southern California," said Josh
Earnest, the White House principal deputy press secretary. "And the fact
of the matter is Mr. Katzenberg's support for the president's policies has no
bearing on our decision to visit here — rather, it's an opportunity."
DreamWorks
Note: Obama to visit DreamWorks HQ
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Past Research for DreamWorks
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