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The Original Captain America Gets Serious About Learning Policy (Or Chris Evans Visits Lawmakers in DC)

One of the most difficult things to accept about celebrities in any field who opine loudly on social media or in their TV interviews (think Ellen Page recently breaking down on Kimmel about Jussie Smollett and blaming VP Pence for the attack) is that they tend to be misinformed or less informed, no matter on which side of the political spectrum they fall.

It’s equivalent to how public figures probably feel when some Twitter troll says they can’t play baseball or that they never should have been cast in a particular film. The average person doesn’t know much about their industry, and so it’s grating for them to have very strong (sometimes outright unkind) opinions on things they know so little about. It’s similar for people who work in and around politics (or even simply immerse themselves in the subject to write intelligently about it). Celebrity opinions trashing this politician or that policy idea can be equally frustrating.

So when a celebrity actually makes an attempt to learn something about politics — particularly if that celebrity is known to express political opinions, and even more so when that celebrity reaches across the partisan aisle and attempts to gather information he may not agree with — it’s a fairly special occasion.

That’s exactly what Chris Evan, the dude version of Captain Marvel himself, tried to do Friday evening by visiting several lawmakers, from both sides of the aisle, on The Hill in Washington, D.C.

Evans has been known to use his Twitter feed to discuss politics, and generally tends to run afoul of conservatives’ policy ideas and has even been known to poke the bear in the White House without shame.

The “Avengers” actor has been outspoken about politics on his Twitter account, and has confronted former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke in his timeline. Evans talked to Esquire about why he chooses to be so openly political and his thoughts on President Trump’s election.

“I feel rage,” he told the magazine of his reaction to the new administration. “I feel fury. It’s unbelievable. People were just so desperate to hear someone say that someone is to blame. They were just so happy to hear that someone was angry. Hear someone say that Washington sucks. They just want something new without actually understanding. I mean, guys like Steve Bannon — Steve Bannon! — this man has no place in politics.”

And Evans has certainly come to the attention of conservatives for being a bit too woke for his own good.

But you have to give the guy credit. He may not come away from a meeting with Sen. Tim Scott agreeing with what they think on policy any more than when he walked in the door, but at least he will be making more of an educated decision (and I’d be willing to be his opinions soften quite a bit as regards conservative policy. That tends to happen when you learn the “whys” of things).

It’s a whole lot more than the Kathy Griffin’s or Jimmy Kimmel’s of the world are willing to do. And it’s commendable.

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