Politicians in the United States have reason to be cautious when it comes to late-night TV. Forget the fact that their gaffes often make great monologue fodder, if they appear as a guest, they run the risk of being absolutely eviscerated by the questions or the audience (*cries in Jon Stewart*). So when Captain America himself, aka Chris Evans, came knocking on their doors, asking for their time and trust, politicians were naturally skeptical. But, being the shield-wielding patriot he is, Cap had a plan.Chris has started a non-partisan online platform called
A Starting Point which gives politicians (of all party affiliations) the opportunity to make their view points on key issues clear in unfiltered one-minute interviews and unbiased one-on-one debates. It's the concept at the very core of democracy, but with many politicians (particularly Republicans) scared of spin in the media, Seth Meyers pointed out
that the fact Captain America was the one knocking probably opened the door a little bit.
“It didn’t hurt!” Chris laughed over video chat on
Late Night With Seth Meyers. “That was the string we were really playing on the whole time. It was nice to use that in a way that got us in the door but didn’t add any pressure.”He continued, “In the film world, when you show up, if you’re making a movie or in a rehearsal, first day of filming, there’s an expectation. I don’t think anyone expected much out of me in D.C., so when the expectations are low, that’s where I thrive!”Admitting that he’s always been a news junkie, Evans said trying to be as objective as possible in politics is always difficult because “we’re all coming to the table with conjecture from arbitrary places.” So
A Starting Point is his attempt to wade into the political sphere and clean up the messy landscape a bit with clear, concise political points free from the spin of pundits. He includes himself in that critique, as Seth noted just how critical Chris is on
his Twitter of the Trump administration.“The reason I’m so vocal on Twitter is because I wanna help. I wanna do good,” he explained, “so I play on that one string. So when you step back, it really becomes a matter of efficacy—how can I help the most?”[video_embed id='1997214']RELATED: Chris Evans sent a special message to 6-year-old who saved sister from a dog attack [/video_embed]Explaining
A Starting Point’s choice of interviewing politicians over experts, he said many people begin to question news outlets and their choice of sources because of agenda, bias, or money. “I want to remove as much subjectivity as possible and allow the connectivity between elected officials and the electorate to exist more clearly.”The site offers three tiers of information: two-minute "
starting points" where one elected official gives their answer to a popular political question; one-minute "
daily points" where politicians can speak on any issue they want; and "
counterpoints" consisting of several short videos by two politicians on either side of a debate countering and engaging with each other's ideas. It's all very quick and informative—it's like TikTok for voters.That, he says, is basically the goal of the site—connecting politicians who have control over the everyday lives of Americans with those very citizens, and leaning on “the north star of truth” to bridge the gap.“Politicians may not be an expert in every single field, but they’re still the ones voting on policy,” he explained. “They’re the ones affecting your life, and I think the American people should know who those players are.”[video_embed id='1999416']BEFORE YOU GO: Ryerson fashion professor Kimberly Jenkins on her Fashion and Race Database [/video_embed]
