The Wonderful Dolly Parton Waxes on Jane Fonda's Activism and Offers Advice for Entertainers Who Want to be Political

[Screenshot from TheDC Shorts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhcz6fOvG3A]

Earlier Friday, I asked: Should religious leaders involve themselves in politics?

Here’s another query: Should entertainers?

Something tells me Jane Fonda would say Yes.

After all, she did this:

Jane Fonda on Vietnam War Trip: “I Don’t Regret Going,” to Help Viet Cong https://t.co/ktObyY7z9o pic.twitter.com/JdgnRROrso

— Conservative Tribune (@conserv_tribune) October 18, 2017

Jane "Hanoi" Fonda, traveled to North Vietnam during the war, while American prisoners of war were being held. In modern terms, she did it for the likes. She was photographed cheering up North Vietnam Soldiers. #VietnamWar #Ethics #JaneFonda #HanoiJane https://t.co/dCVZDFSFfP

— Poliscinerd (@Polisci65774651) November 5, 2019

How Jane Fonda’s 1972 trip to North Vietnam earned her the nickname ‘Hanoi Jane’ https://t.co/QmtC64qlUP

— John Recinito (@JRecinito) November 15, 2019

These days, “Hanoi Janes” takes it upon herself to get arrested.

On Capitol Hill.

Every Friday.

Jane Fonda Keeps Getting Arrested for Protesting and Raising Awareness for the Climate Change Crisis https://t.co/yzmxyYd9SP

— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) November 22, 2019

Does she ride a bike to Washington for those environmental apprehensions?

Jane was, as you may know, in her prime a very in-demand actress, during which she appeared in the fantastic movie, 9 to 5.

Another star of the film: the wonderful Dolly Parton.

What makes Dolly so great? Well, to name two…

…her talent and vivacious personality.

Another welcome attribute: Her commitment to stay out of politics.

The legendary, critically-acclaimed songwriter, singer, and actress appeared on ABC’s The View Thursday, during which she was asked about her former colleague’s penchant for protest.

Here’s how co-host Abby Huntsman brought it up:

“[Jane] was on our show recently talking about ways she’s trying to protest and get involved, and she has her whole life. But she has been protesting in D.C. On climate change. She has been arrested a few times.”

Dolly laughed:

“I know. Again. She’s been arrested. I said, ‘Again?’ You know Jane. She’s always been out protesting something, all of her life.”

Abby asked:

“She enlisted a lot of her friends, her famous friends. Would you ever do something like that?”

Dolly was firm:

“I wouldn’t get out in the streets and do it. But I kind of try to contribute in my own way. I’m an entertainer, and I do it a little different. Everyone’s got their own way of kind of making their points, and I try to do it my way and they do it theirs. I let them have it.”

Joy Behar chimed in, “Though your music?”

Dolly:

“Through my music and the way I live and the way I am. We all do it in our own way, and Jane is Jane and let her go.”

I’m particularly fond of how the hitmaker answered the question in a Nightline interview in March of 2018:

“I don’t do politics. I’m not getting into any of that. I have a lot of fans out there, and I don’t want to offend anybody. Besides, I just don’t get into that. If you are deciding you may want to ask me something more serious, don’t, because I’m not going to answer it.”

Jane takes quite the different approach.

As I covered earlier in the month:

The woman who made a splash posing on artillery with the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War announced that politicians who don’t share her views on climate change should be treated like Nazi war criminals.

Jane made the proclamation during an interview with Michael Moynihan for Viceland’s The Impeachment Show.

The controversial Hollywood legend also lumped in oil executives who enable said elected officials.

Michael asked, “So, you want to see sort of a Nuremberg trial for climate criminals?”

I’d like to point out that they hung people at Nuremberg…

Fonda’s response:

“Yeah, I would.”

Back to Dolly on Nightline, she put it succinctly: