When Meryl Streep took the stage at the Golden Globes ceremony and delivered an impassioned speech calling out President-Elect Donald Trump as an overbearing bully, everyone had their reaction. Many rose up in support of the esteemed actress, celebrating her fiery diatribe as a heroic display of speaking truth to power. Others took issue with her anti-Trump stance, painting the woman as another pampered Hollywood liberal trapped within her bubble of privilege. A third, smaller faction of mixed martial arts enthusiasts took grave offense to Streep’s fleeting diss leveled at MMA and NFL football, and invited the multiple Academy Award winner to settle the matter in the octagon.

The latest voice to weigh in on the ongoing debate belongs to Robert De Niro, who published a short letter of solidarity with Streep online yesterday. People posted the letter, in which De Niro commends Streep for standing tall against a big, nasty bully:

Meryl –

What you said was great. It needed to be said, and you said it beautifully. I have so much respect for you that you did it while the world was celebrating your achievements. I share your sentiments about punks and bullies. Enough is enough. You, with your elegance and intelligence, have a powerful voice — one that inspires others to speak up as they should so their voices will be heard too. It is so important that we ALL speak up.

We love you.

Bob

De Niro’s words are certainly inspiring, and yet the frustrating thing is that they’re unlikely to change anyone’s mind. Anyone who chafed at a multi-millionaire in Los Angeles telling them how to live their life most likely won’t be any more receptive when that unfathomably rich celebrity happens to be more closely identified with New York. We learned this past election cycle that the American right can’t stand being spoken to by authoritative women, so maybe De Niro’s comments will strike more of a chord by virtue of his gender. But heartening as the display may be, it feels a bit like a drop in a large bucket.

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