Humorists always have found fertile fodder in politics and the politicians who were shoveling it, of course. The difference is that their gibes were mostly bipartisan, one-zinger-fits-all.
— “If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.” — H. L Mencken.
— “I don’t think either one of them knows what it’s all about, to be honest with you. Both sides are doing nothing but just looking towards the next election.” — Will Rogers.
— “I don’t know what people have against government; they haven’t done anything.”— Bob Hope.
But when I take my morning online skim through the headlines, it seems that every day there’s at least one reporting that:
— “Jimmy Kimmel Exposes Trump’s Racist Code Word Hiding In Plain Sight”
— “Stephen Colbert Torches Trump’s ‘Bizarre New Video’”
— “Jimmy Kimmel Nails Fox News For Its Most Shameless Trump Propaganda Yet”
— “Stephen Colbert on Trump: ‘Business Fraud Is His Brand’”
Comedians, or any celebrities, have every right to share their opinions and will continue to have them as long as they don’t offend the wrong sponsors, I understand that. What I don’t understand is why anybody should care what a late night comedian has to say. Or, perhaps, what their writers have them say. (Ok, ok, why should anybody care what a humor columnist has to say? I get the irony.) And, to be fair, there’s an occasional gentle jab at the party the late night comics favor.)
Bu, personally, I’d rather have my political opinions influenced by people who are experts in Constitutional law, economics, climate, medicine, international affairs and stuff like that. And if, at 11:30 p.m., I feel the need for even more bickering, deceit and vitriol, I can always stream reruns of Seinfeld.
Because, as Johnny Cason once observed, “When a comic becomes enamored with his own views and foists them off on the public in a polemic way, he loses not only his sense of humor but his value as a humorist.”
Or, as Craig Ferguson put it more succinctly,” I don’t like my politicians entertaining me and I don’t like my entertainers politicianing me.”
Contact this columnist at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com.
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