'Guardians of the Galaxy' Director James Gunn Comments on Backlash Against Chris Pratt Sending Prayers to Kevin Smith

Last night, director Kevin Smith suffered a near-fatal heart attack. Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt offered encouragement to Smith on his recovery and said that he'd pray for Smith. Some took issue with this.

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn noticed this backlash and has commented on it. He believes that Pratt's offer of prayer has been conflated with the offers of "thoughts and prayers" from politicians in response to gun violence and other tragedies that have recently received criticism. Gunn thinks that these people may not understand why it is that "thoughts & prayers" as a political response has received such backlash:

"So I just read Chris Pratt's tweet to Kevin Smith saying he would pray for him & made the mistake of reading the comments, many of which go off on Chris for saying he'd pray. I think people misunderstand the backlash against 'thoughts & prayers.' There is nothing wrong with sending someone positive thoughts & prayers. But when this is coupled with inaction when action will benefit the situation, it's empty.

"If you're offering Parkland shooting survivors prayers, but are unwilling to deal with the problems of gun violence in this country in a practical way, those prayers are empty. And if you're going to offer prayers to the folks suffering in Puerto Rico, you might consider adding a link for a donation or calling on your representatives to take action, in addition to those prayers. Prayers alone will not change the world. But no one expects Chris Pratt to shoulder doctors out of the way and perform heart surgery on Kevin Smith. Nor does Kevin need Chris to pay his medical bills. So I think his prayers are appreciated, and about all he can do.

"I'm not tweeting this to defend Chris - he's a big boy and can take care of himself. But for me, personally, prayer and meditation are great boons to my life and help me navigate my way through this world, and I don't want to dissuade others who find those things useful. I honestly would not be doing what I'm doing in either my career, or in speaking out on political matters, if I wasn't led there through prayers and meditation. I feel lucky to have these tools. I don't think that means YOU need to pray. I don't. There are many ways to navigate this life. Mine is only one of them. Prayer isn't for everyone but, in the face of helplessness, it's often meant as a acknowledgement that one cares (and we all care about [Kevin Smith])."

As usual, context is key, and if Gunn is right about one thing its that we all do care about Kevin Smith and hope he has a speedy recovery.