I am convinced that people like Will Rogers and Bob Hope
must be rolling over in their graves as they look at the state of political
satire in America today. They set a
standard for poking the political elite that most of today’s writers and
performers have no ability to reach.
Why is that?
I think the answer boils down to one word, or as Aretha
Franklin would say R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Historically, Roger’s would skewer the politicians for
their actions with the Republicans being a favorite target. I believe Hope poked the Democrats more than
Republicans in his comedic insights into the two parties, but both of them
maintained an underlying respect for the role of government and the necessary
evil of the political parties and their politicians.
Today’s commentators and performers have so little respect
for the people or institutions they are attempting to satirize that their words
and actions come across as mean, petty, and vindictive rhetoric. Perhaps it is their perceived notion of
shocking the audience by the use of profanity that contributes to this? I don’t know, but I can’t see the profanity
filled dialogues or quotes of Bill Maher being held up to future generations as
great American wit.
Then we come to Saturday Night Live, whose agenda is so
blatantly bias that it is almost painful to watch. The hatred seems to ooze from the performer,
like puss from a wound. When did this
change? Was it with the election of GW
Bush when the Democrat’s first enlisted the entertainment industry to
de-legitimize the office of President, or is a bi-product of the snowflake
generating education system?
I leave you with some examples.
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