Matthew McConaughey says coronavirus has been ‘hijacked’ by ‘partisan politics,’ calls for unity

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Rasha Ali   | USA TODAY 8:32 a.m. PDT May 13, 2020

5 Key Takeaways for Grads :

1) Act today so you will be proud tomorrow, e.g. those comments you leave online will outlive you.

2) Inspire yourself and others. Laugh and have as much fun as you can when you can

3) Life’s hard, even without a damn pandemic. Realize that now and youll enjoy your life a whole lot more.

4) Dont be afraid to fail. Take risks and learn who you are and persist to be that person and get what you want.

5) Let your reach exceed your grasp and what you end up getting will be better that you would have grasped

6) Its o.k. to screw up (much like 4.)

7) Take care of your family, friends and loved ones. Make a plan, stick with it and own it

Matthew McConaughey is calling for unity during the coronavirus pandemic which he feels has been politicized.

The Academy Award-winning actor appeared on Tuesday’s “Special Report with Bret Baier” to discuss his new PSA, aimed at uniting Americans during the pandemic, and remind people that COVID-19 “is not about politics.”

“I could feel that this united purpose we all have as Americans to beat this enemy and this virus, that purpose got hijacked a bit by partisan politics,” McConaughey said. “The narrative became if you want to go to work, you’re on the far right. If you don’t go to work, you want to stay home, you’re on the far left. And now even the mask wearing is getting politicized, where if you want to wear a mask, you wear a mask, you’re a liberal and if you don’t, you’re conservative and that’s just not true.”

The “Dallas Buyers Club” actor said this divide has caused people to fight two wars: one against the virus and one against each other.

“This is not about politics, it’s about us. The U.S.A. We got to take care of each other right now, we have a collective purpose,” the 50-year-old actor said. “How many times are we unanimously convicted of an enemy that we all want to beat? Look at how great Americans are when purpose comes to us in a crisis.”

He continued: “This is a tug of war with the virus, we need all hands on the rope if we’re going to beat it.”

McConaughey said although he doesn’t see a solution to the pandemic right now, he encourages people to think of ways they can help.

“We are waiting for science to catch up with us in this predicament. So what can each of us do independently, individually in our families, in our households, in our communities, in our neighborhoods, in our cities?” the actor said. “This is uncharted waters, there’s not a playbook. I understand that. These are band-aids and things we need to do to hold this off until we have enough science to understand (it’s safe to re-engage).”

The “Gentlemen” actor also encouraged people to wear masks if they go outside. 

“I hope we wear masks as a badge of honor and something we feel like somebody told us we had to wear and it takes away our identity. I think wearing a mask is not propaganda,” McConaughey said. “I don’t think it’s partisanship or politics. I think a mask is all about our purpose right now.

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