Just Call Me Mike: A Journey from Actor to Activist

[hyphenate]

Just Call Me Mike: A Journey from Actor to Activist
By Mike Farrell, AlterNet. Posted March 13, 2007.

The following is an excerpt from Mike Farrell's memoir, Just Call Me Mike: A Journey from Actor to Activist (Akashic: 2007).

Preface

"So what do we call you, actor and activist?"

"Why don't you just call me Mike?"

It happens -- usually when I'm about to be interviewed on television or radio-because these days the discussion may not be only about M*A*S*H, or Providence, or Hollywood. Since we're as likely to talk about war, or peace, or human rights, or maybe even how I could possibly object to executing some fang-toothed, slobbering monster, they want to fit me into a category.

But I don't want to be put into somebody's category. I'd rather just talk and let whoever's listening take it in, see if it fits and figure out how they feel about it-and maybe even why. Pigeonholing does the public's thinking for them, and kind of insults them in the process.

I don't want to be part of that. Because it's been quite a trip, this journey of mine. So if someone wants to discuss -- or debate -- the issues, I'm happy to do that, but I'd rather not start off with a label that sets someone's teeth on edge.

Say I'm a "liberal" and some think they know my views on everything. They start dialing the phone or writing an angry letter without even knowing what I'll say. Or others think we agree, when we might not.

http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/48993/

[ReadTomPaine]

1. Mike is a class act.

We're lucky to have him in our camp. He's also an former Marine, incidentally.

[Marnieworld]

2. He was very brave before the Iraq war

It was during that horrible time period where so few people were dissenting and those who were brave faced such a backlash. But I'll never forget the gratitude I felt when people like Mike Farrell and Janeanne Garafolo and Martin Sheen and others went on talk show after talk show denouncing the war and refuting talking points.

They were informed, strong and brilliant. And of course correct. So that's when I learned that he was more that MASH. He's a good man.