suffering from dumb bitch disease, please hold

Eartha Kitt at a press conference in 1968 and people who supported her after Eartha was criticized for speaking out at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson and expressing her opinion that the countless young Americans being killed and maimed in the Vietnam War was causing the youth of America to feel hopeless and frustrated and act out or turn to drugs, an opinion which allegedly made Lady Bird cry. Eartha was subsequently subjected to a smear campaign, publicly branded "a sadistic nymphomaniac" (among other false allegations), and experienced a career embargo in America that lasted for over ten years, forcing her to work mostly in other countries around the world. Though many people in America agreed with her opinion and supported her right to express it, the blacklisting severely limited and almost completely destroyed Eartha's career as an actress and entertainer. At the press conference featured in the gifs above, Eartha spoke off the cuff with no notes and said: "The people whom I have heard from, their opinion is that what I said was right. They are in back of me 100%. A great many other Americans have told me through their telegrams and letters and phone calls that if they had the chance, they would have done the same thing. In order to tell you what happened, I was invited to the White House by Mrs. Johnson to give my opinion on how I feel about the juvenile delinquency situation in our country and how to make our streets safer. After listening to the ladies who gave their opinions on how they feel about juvenile delinquency and the safety of our streets, I raised my hand and I was recognized by the First Lady in order to give my opinions. I felt that these women, those of us who were there, had very good intentions. But I felt that we had missed something during the afternoon. I felt that they were talking about safety of our streets, juvenile delinquency in my country, and how we'd camouflage it with streetlights, better, bigger, brighter streetlights, and how maybe we can camouflage it with flowers. I felt, and I still feel, that we do have a terrific problem in our country, but we must recognize---we ~MUST~ recognize---that since we do have the problem, and we want to rid ourselves of it as best we can, that we must somehow find the core for these problems. And so I gave my opinions after I raised my hand. Now, I was on duty as an American citizen, as I feel I am always on duty as an American citizen. And if I am asked if I have an opinion about what I have been involved with, then I feel I have the right to cast those opinions. And therefore I ask you, do you think I was rude?"