Chris Pratt to People Who ‘B*tch and Moan About America’: ‘Your Right to Free Expression Is Paid for in Blood’

Honoree Chris Pratt accepts the MTV Generation Award onstage during the 2018 MTV Movie And
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for MTV

A-list Hollywood actor Chris Pratt took to Instagram on Memorial Day to tell those who “bitch and moan about America” that their “right to free expression is paid for in blood.”

“I saw these images on [mixed martial artist Tim Kennedy]’s feed. Please, look at each one. Pause, give them your consideration,” Chris Pratt wrote in an Instagram caption, in which he shared several photos of U.S. military personnel and their loved ones.

“America’s exceptional armed forces have altered the course of the world for the better,” the Guardians of the Galaxy actor continued in his caption. “From the Union Army defeating slave owning confederates, to the Greatest Generation and her Allies vanquishing the Nazis or our special operators hunting down the perpetrators of 9/11. We count the names of each fallen solider lest they be countless.”

“They are the good guys. They run to the sound of gunfire. They know pain and suffering we never will. They have given us the most free and decent society planet earth has ever seen,” the Jurassic World star said. “We run the risk of losing that decency when we fail to instill gratitude in the minds of our youth or the perspective of what it actually means to be free- should they never learn of the selfless sacrifice of our armed service members in the face of oppressive evil.”

“So join me in showing support for our fallen,” Pratt urged his followers. “Take a quiet moment to really consider the sacrifice.”

Pratt addressed those who “bitch and moan about America.”

“And if you use the comments section on posts like this to bitch and moan about America please understand there are countries in the world where criticizing your government will get you killed or imprisoned,” Pratt said.

“Criticism is a right and necessity in amending the flawed systems of man. So by all means, let your voice be heard,” the actor added. “But never forget your right to free expression is paid for in blood. May God give their souls rest, and may they live in our memories this weekend and always.”

In 2019, Pratt shared an emotional Veterans Day tribute, honoring his brother, other family members who have served in the U.S. military, as well as the “brave men and women who sacrifice a whole hell of a lot.”

Last October, the actor was targeted by cancel culture for declining to join an Avengers fundraiser in support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.

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