Here's Which Celebrities Are Speaking Out On Syria - And Why Most Are Staying Silent
Sean Penn, George Clooney, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon and a handful of other celebrities can usually be counted on to be Hollywood's most outspoken anti-war protesters.
But not when it comes to the current situation with Syria.
So why does the cat suddenly have Hollywood's tongue?
Vocal celebrity progressive activists Ed Asner, 83, and "M*A*S*H" star Mike Farrell, 74, opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about why they think Hollywood is staying quiet.
Farrell explains, "an all-out war in Iraq under Bush, a Republican who was very unpopular in Hollywood, was a much bigger deal than potential missile strikes against Syria under the direction of Obama, a Democrat who drew millions for his campaigns from showbiz industry donors."
Adds "Mary Tyler Moore" actor Asner, "It will be a done deal before Hollywood is mobilized. This country will either bomb the hell out of Syria or not before Hollywood gets off its a--."
Asner, who has seven Emmy awards to his name, further explains that a main reason celebrities haven't come forward in protest is because they don't want to be called racist.
"A lot of people don't want to feel anti-black by being opposed to Obama," says Asner.
Asner continued about the current president: "I voted for him, but I'm not proud. He hasn't thrown himself on the funeral pyre. I wanted him to sacrifice himself. Instead, he has proved himself to be a corporatist, and as long as he's a corporatist, he's not my president. A lot of people have lost hope -- with the betrayals, the NSA spying ... People aren't getting active because 'Who gives a sh--?' is essentially the bottom line."
Farrell echoed his friend's sentiments: "He's a disappointment to me and other people I know."
Hollywood's silence is deafening in contrast to the handful of celebrities, from Martin Sheen to Neil Young and Barbra Streisand, who railed against the Bush administration throughout the 2000s, imploring Bush against going to war with Iraq.
But while many past protestors are remaining silent, a select few are speaking out via social media.
Earlier this week, Madonna posted a strong message to her Instagram account. It has over 34,000 "likes."
Signer Azealia Banks went on a Twitter tirade expressing her disapproval by publicly questioning whether the Obama administration might be in a "diabolical ego race" with rivals like Russia and Iran, and declared, "America should mind it's business this time."
And Obama isn't doing himself any favors by upsetting Univision. Feeling snubbed by the prez, anchor Jorge Ramos tweeted Monday: