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Christian Bale shares why white men should step aside in favor of diverse voices.

Christian Bale — aka Batman and one of America's most notable "psychos" — just said what we're all thinking when it comes to white men of privilege.

While doing press for his latest movie, "Hostiles," Bale and the film's costars dropped into the AOL series "Build" for an in-depth interview.

During the 30-minute conversation, the topic turned to the political state of the U.S. Bale doesn't see our divisiveness rooted in "red state/blue state" conflicts, but rather our lack of diverse voices, specifically in leadership.


“Our culture will be so much richer the day that we stop saying, ‘Hey, it’s all white dudes who are running things,’” Bale said.

"Whether that be Hollywood, whether that be Washington, you know. We’re going to get, in Hollywood, so much better films and so much more interesting stories being told and America will become the America that the rest of the world sees it as, that makes it unique."

Bale's belief that America can and will be better is rooted in love for his adopted country. The Englishman described the United States as "beautiful" and "brilliant."

"It's the reason I moved here. It's the reason my kids have American accents," he said. "It's a country of inclusion, of invitation."

Or at least, it can be.

(Fast forward to 19:20 for Bale's take.)

Why is Bale spot-on? Privileged white dudes stole this country from Native Americans and built it on the backs of black and brown labor, while setting themselves and their descendants up to benefit.

White dudes gave us the Three-Fifths Compromise, the Trail of Tears, the Great Depression, internment camps, the War on Drugs, the NRA, "Dilbert" and Uber.

Sure, they gave us some good things too (looking in your direction, "Home Alone"). But after more than 241 years of running the country and almost every industry in it, perhaps it's best to let women and people of color take the reins for a while.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Paul Ryan (R-WI) while Vice President Pence stands between them awkwardly. Photo by Bill Clark-Pool/Getty Images.

And while Christian Bale may seem like a surprising man to applaud, given previous allegations of misconduct, in this case and at this moment in time, he's right.

I'm not proposing anyone build a statue in his honor — or even forgive his past behavior.

But more white men of privilege should speak out with the conviction and honesty he did and work to make this country a better place for everyone, especially people too often left out out of the conversation. (Looking at you, Matt Damon.)

[rebelmouse-image 19533412 dam="1" original_size="750x499" caption="Photo by WOCinTech Chat/Flickr." expand=1]Photo by WOCinTech Chat/Flickr.

What we need more is new ideas and fresh voices.

More women. More people of color. More LGBTQ people. More people with disabilities. More people living below the poverty line. More immigrants. More of everyone who makes this country so unique and beautiful.

And please — at least for a while — fewer white men making decisions for the rest of us.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

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Bruce Willis recently celebrated his 68th birthday.

Back in March 2022, legendary action actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia and took an official step away from the spotlight. Then, in February 2023, the beloved "Die Hard" star progressed into frontotemporal dementia, an incurable brain disorder often mistaken for Alzheimer’s that mainly affects personality, behavior and language, according to the Mayo Clinic.


Despite the tragic news, Willis is supported by loved ones, as seen in a video posted by ex-wife Demi Moore. The clip, posted to Twitter on March 19, captures Willis' family surrounding him in celebration of his 68th birthday.
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Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

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A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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Pop Culture

Kelly Clarkson correctly pronouncing a guest's name on her show seems simple but it speaks volumes

Viewers appreciated how respectfully Clarkson handled her interview with K-pop group TWICE when she asked performer Tzuyu how to properly pronounce her name.

The Kelly Clarkson Show/Youtube

It really is as simply as that.

What’s in a name?

A lot, actually. We know that names reflect certain aspects of one’s identity. We know that repeated mispronunciation of a person’s name potentially undermines that identity. We know that sometimes this is unintentional, and other times, more insidious intentions of “othering” are at play. Especially when it comes to those with non-English names.

We also know that, on the flip side, making the effort to properly pronounce a person’s name is one of the simplest forms of kindness and respect that someone can offer. And it really pays dividends.

Just take a page from Kelly Clarkson’s book.
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Pop Culture

Woman shares 5 questions to ask potential employers and people are taking notes

"Being in both senior leadership and directly involved in candidate recruitment, these questions are fire. 10/10 recommend."

TikTok creator gives people 5 questions to ask potential employers.

You know the end of the interview where they ask, "Do you have any questions for us?" It's a dreaded question for a lot of people. Even though you know it's coming, the question still catches you off guard and you wind up asking something possibly irrelevant or nothing at all. Then the whole ride home, approximately fifteen questions pop into your head.

But don't you fret, because TikTok creator Kyyah Abdul has a list of five questions to keep tucked in your brain's pocket to close out an interview. And folks in the comments are applauding the creator's ability to figure out if the company is a fit for you and clarify any concerns the interviewer may have. Her advice was so genius that even a person who is involved in candidate recruitment chimed in saying, "Being in both senior leadership and directly involved in candidate recruitment, these questions are fire. 10/10 recommend."

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