Chris Evans is launching a political website and social media is torn: 'Is this a good idea though?'
Chris Evans never hesitates to speak his mind. And now, the Captain America star is taking his passion for politics one step further.
On Twitter, Evans confirmed a CNN report that he is creating a civic engagement website called A Starting Point. The project seeks to make interpreting political information easier.
“Guess the cat’s outta the bag :),” Evans wrote to his followers. “Thank you to everyone who has already participated!!!”
Guess the cat’s outta the bag 🙂
Thank you to everyone who has already participated!! https://t.co/yj5FrmlWFr
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) April 6, 2019
In a video invitation to members of congress, Evans called A Starting Point a “one-stop shop for simple, digestible information from the people who know best.” He explained that through balanced explanation of the issues, he hopes to help people make informed decisions on important topics.
“For every question, we’re going to try to get the Republican and Democratic response,” said Evans in a launch video. “For someone who doesn’t know much about an issue, they can come and hear both sides.”
The responses to Evans’ announcement are varied. A few Twitter users commented that the last thing that’s needed right now is an opportunity for politicians to further defend their positions on controversial topics.
“Can we avoid doing the thing where we act like both sides are telling the truth when one side or the other on any particular issue is basically just flat out lying?” one person asked.
Can we avoid doing the thing where we act like both sides are telling the truth when one side or the other on any particular issue is basically just flat out lying? ’cause that’s really annoying.
— Thomas “You Can Call Me Tom” (@thomasabarry1) April 6, 2019
Others were similar:
Is this a good idea though? While some issues can have two sides, many don’t. We don’t need to hear why poor people don’t deserve healthcare and we don’t need to hear from the white supremacists in Congress or anywhere else.
— Dan Arel (@danarel) April 6, 2019
You can’t have a discussion when conservaderps do not argue from a starting point based in facts or reality.
Liberals tell the truth using science, history, math, etc.
Conservaderps rewrite history, use logical fallacies endlessly, deny science, and believe conspiracy.
— Jaym Esch (@JaymEsch) April 6, 2019
Despite the criticism, most replies commended Evans for his willingness to engage in political discourse.
Legend. We desperately needed this. Hope it’s the start of a turning point.
— Jake Stormoen (@JakeStormoen) April 6, 2019
Chris Evans is creating a website so people can actually understand what’s happening. This man is using his platform to get people more interested in big issues and actually understand what’s happening. I literally love him so much. pic.twitter.com/7lhlgjJ2Aw
— moxie | wife #7 (@evansndodger) March 28, 2019
Despite the nature of the project, Evans mentions in the video that while he tends to be quite vocal about his own political convictions, A Starting Point has nothing to do with that. Instead, it’s simply a means to help educate the people.
“I want to make it clear that this website has nothing to do with my political opinion,” Evans said in the video invitation. “It’s not about my political opinion. This is about yours. This is a chance for you to talk about issues that matter to you.”
Politics are a familiar territory for Evans, whose uncle is Massachusetts politician Mike Capuano.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
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