Celebrity manages to suppress ego long enough to realize that they shouldn't be a politician
Matthew McConaughey has realized that being rich and famous does not necessarily make someone the best politician
He may be famously laid back, as comfortable chilling on a beach as he is driving down an endless desert road in a big ugly Lincoln, but there seems to be one facet of Matthew McConaughey’s personality that the world has yet to acknowledge: He is not, apparently, a self-centered idiot who thinks that being famous makes him more special than everyone else.
He’s an Oscar-winner! He gets paid millions of dollars to be in crap like The Dark Tower, and he still recognizes that that doesn’t mean he’s better than us! He might even be aware that there are people better than him at certain things! Against all odds and unlike so many of his Hollywood colleagues, Matthew McConaughey might actually be an okay person!
This fascinating revelation comes courtesy of a video that McConaughey posted on social media last night, during which he announced that he will not be running for governor of Texas. Let that sink in: He’s a rich and famous celebrity with some interest in political causes, he must be motivated at least somewhat by people telling him he’s good (or else he wouldn’t be an actor), and yet he’s not going to engage in the ultimate ego-feeding test of his success and popularity by running for office.
Discussions about McConaughey potentially running for governor got serious earlier this year when he noted that he was really considering a campaign, noting at the time that he has “wisdom to share” with the general public and that there are “obvious” lessons he’d like to impart on the young people of Texas.
In the Twitter video, though, McConaughey says that, while it’s “a humbling and inspiring path to ponder,” he’s choosing to support organizations that are “creating pathways for people to succeed in life” and “have a mission to serve and build trust and dream” rather than just making everything about himself with a gubernatorial run.
It’s also worth pointing out that McConaughey’s specific political beliefs are still… kind of vague. He likes to say folksy stuff about leading and serving the community and fixing broken things in our political systems, but sentiments like that can mean completely different things when they’re coming from the left or the right. But that’s the other silver lining in this: Nobody has to worry about that now, and we can all go back to living easy and driving our hideous Lincoln SUVs.