(What's So Funny 'Bout) Hope, Change and Barack Obama? Apparently, Nothing.
In the wake of the New Yorker's hilarious cover image of black Muslim insurgents Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, the New York Times interviewed a bunch of comedy writers from a number of talk shows and stuff to talk about the proper way to make fun of the Democratic presidential candidate.
The general consensus among them seems to be that you just can't make jokes about the guy, because there's just nothing funny about him...
Why? The reason cited by most of those involved in the shows is that a fundamental factor is so far missing in Mr. Obama: There is no comedic "take" on him, nothing easy to turn to for an easy laugh, like allegations of Bill Clinton's womanizing, or President Bush's goofy bumbling or Al Gore's robotic persona.
"The thing is, he's not buffoonish in any way," said Mike Barry, who started writing political jokes for Johnny Carson's monologues in the waning days of the Johnson administration and has lambasted every presidential candidate since, most recently for Mr. Letterman. "He's not a comical figure," Mr. Barry said.
Tell me about it! What's funny about a guy who travels across the country making vague promises of "hope" and "change" and then turns around and supports a bill designed to rob us our 4th Amendment rights at the behest of the least popular president in the Earth's history?
I just can't think of anything! Gah! It's so hard being a comedy writer these days!
Jon Stewart -- popular host of a little show you may have heard of called You Wrote It, You Watch It (amongst other less popular shows) -- says that audiences seem less than inclined to laugh at the self-important, Christ-like savior of liberal idealism...
Despite audience resistance, Mr. Stewart contended, his show had been able to develop a distinctive angle on Mr. Obama. Noting that the senator seems to emphasize the historic nature of his quest, Mr. Stewart said, "So far, our take is that he's positioning himself to be on a coin."
Yeah. That or a cross.
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Writing satire with regard to issues of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion is becoming the equivalent of daring a frightened kid on the playground to licking a frozen flag pole despite a bucket of warm water being close at hand. A chilling effect.
P.S. Mr. Scarborough, should your internet bubbas see my grammar mistakes and flip-flopping of
"speaking truth to power" or "crucifix" error in my hurried attempt to express my early thoughts, I'll have you know something...
I actually like you, Willie, and Mika (even Pat when I'm hungover) and should hope you do a better job of apologizing and not resort to cheap shots at my hurried typos as a feigned attempt to cover up your momentary lapse of REASON. For the record, maybe let Mika make her point rather than derail her. She is your better half after all and a particular tension there is quite palpable. Anyhoo, the "weeeeeee" noise Willie makes when Obama bowls is good stuff. After all, bowling is a metaphor for revenge. So, I guess you do satire after all if you couple that with Bill Mahers' quip. Albeit, unintentional.
Cool Easter Egg. I like "Morning Joe" in the interests of fairness. Just, when I was moving my bowels this morning, something smelled funnier.
Yeah. Joe apologized at 8:00 am after a flood of emails and gave credit for one joke. What a coward. Dude spent not nearly as much time to his "analysis" of The Daily Show as he did with his brush off apology. Thanks for fucking up my timing this morning. But, this shit is important. For me to poop on.
Turn to the left and cough, you've been examined by Dr. Joe. More appropriately, Dr. What A Fucking Joke.
Before heading out to preach this morning, I had the opportunity to watch Joe Scarborough falsely hang out Daily Show to dry stating the reason for a lack of comedy on those who "speak power to truth" was basically because of a left wing agenda at Comedy Central. For a good ten minutes this poser ripped the show between around 6:30 - 6:45. Apparently he missed the fucking endless satire of satire here in black and white.
A huge Dragnet cast without the facts ma'ams. Comedy and satire is certainly difficult now as this is a very novel and difficult issue for writers, but for Christs sake, look at the punchline of this piece as an example. "Crucifix." He further accuses The Daily Show of not talking about "flip-flopping, FISA and the Fourth Amendment" etc. And then this good ol' boy from Southern Georgia (aka N. Florida) uses political ideology as a bullshit smokescreen as a means of trying to explain the complex issue of writing satire. And it is hard.
The complexity lies with figuring out the line with regard to issues of race, religion, and gender, and the powerful and palpable fear that comes with approaching it. It has nothing to do with politics. It's about risk taking. Rather than taking risks, Scarborough takes the easy out and pushes a conservative agenda and stereotypes The Daily Show in particular as a faux "subversive" attempt at comedy grounded in liberalism. He should poor a pot of piping hot Morning Joe on his nuts which need not be castrated, just singed a bit. I don't know how the hell you deal with this conundrum, but at least recognize it for what it is. Hard but worth taking risks. And, Scarborough shouldn't paint with a huge brush in order to deflect attention away from the fact his own show doesn't do shit insofar as satire and Obama. This blog and Comedy Central in general I think does a terrific job to flesh out the issues.
Joe, go blow.
How about do the right thing and say the truth, Ruth. No material? My ass. Ain't no mutherfucking diversity up on the late night shows for one. I understand whitey be afraid to get into the topic of... race in a race. Shit, I'd be too if my people enslaved brothers for four hundred year. One wrong move we'd make y'all move to Compton. This ain't no pedofeelinya Michael Jackson Thrilla. It's a God-Damned comedy killa. And it's race and a lack of shhh...nuts.
That shit works both ways too. Black folk are afraid to make jokes about the Heavenly Father. Holy Black Jesus, Mary, Mother of Obama. The question isn't what would Jesus do. How about, what would Chappelle do? If he wasn't fucked in the head floating around the mother land somewhere.
Stewart tries and his coin joke was funny, vanilla funny. McCain's easy, you talk about his old ass and Moses or some shit, and everyone laughs. Go near the Ace of Spades....woops. Can you even say that? I say go near it. But you can't. Why? This nation is fucked up.
What's so fucked up is the very fact people are afraid to go down the terrorist road, the race road, across 110th Street, over the river and through the 'hood because of selfish reasons. Either, they're afraid of getting falsely outed as a racist, or they're simply are a fucking racist.
Get this shit out on the table. There's plenty of material. Fuck me. I'm no comedy pro, but NO MATERIAL??? Bullshit.
Imagine Murphy in the 80's. Pre-pussy Norbit transformation. He wouldn't want to hurt Obama, but Eddie would have the balls to hammer home the situation. Lennny Bruce. George Carlin. Chappelle. Chris Rock. This has more to do with an utter lack of balls and a fear people won't get it than it does anything else. My money's on that hot ass of Sarah Silverman to come up with something really fucked up and genuine.
Some might say, "well it shows how we have progressed as a society." MY ASS. It shows the undercurrent of racism in a reverse manner. Now, I'm not talkin' bout those fucked up black jokes that make you wanna knock someone out, but exaggerate the exaggeration from The New Yorker and that could be one funny ass gig. Imagine it on SNL. Except, they'd need more black make-up.
But, we're a nation of the politically correct. A lack of risk takers because the dude's gotta funny name and is the first African-American running for Prez. You know how far you can take the flag pin, Allah praying, bullet sprayin', Sista Soldier lines bitches! Far. Yeah. He swore on the Koran? Get the fuck out. And so what if he did? Does he snort coke, have a big cock, and dunk a ball? These are important questions we need answers to. His wife a militant? The fuck do you think Hillary was, a flower child? Michelle's fucking Hillary 2.0. What do you think McCain would say if they fucked with that wound up poodle ho' of his? He'd freak the fuck out. And' we'd laugh.
I know one thing, there is definitely no lack for material. Shit. It's a God-Damned gold mine. We have a surplus of flacidity. And yeah, this is much easier behind a computer. But, I don't get paid for the truth either. America needs to eat they're Wheaties. Easier written than done though.
Obama 0 mutherfucking 8.
This cover has spawned such a bizarre amount of confusion and still more bizarre attempts to spell things out, I don't even know where to begin. I guess you've done the job for me, though, so instead I'll just... offer this little personal anecdote.
Someone comes up to me to show me the magazine cover. 'This has sparked a lot of controversy, you know,' she comments. Holy flaming crapballs, Batman! It has!? Blown away by such unexpected news, I can but mumble a noise of acknowledgment. 'I don't think it's fair,' she continues, 'unless they do the same for McCain.' A pause for reflection. She reasserts. Exeunt.
Don't worry, madam, I'm sure that the entire staff at The New Yorker are already planning that for their next issue. No? You think not? Perhaps you're right. But maybe a Republican publication will offer a cover that "hold[s] up a mirror to the prejudice and dark imaginings" of the left about McCain. You know... McCain is sitting in a rocking chair in the Oval Office, blanket over his lap, grasping a cane and looking dazedly at a row of portraits of former white, male presidents. Cindy brings him a tray with a milky cup of tea, some cookies she made from a favorite 'family recipe,' and a heaping platter of vitamin pills...
Republican No. 1- 'Hahaha, it's SO ludicrous how those on the left describe McCain as OLD and SENILE and a repeat of PREVIOUS LEADERS that we have had, Republican No. 2!'
Republican No. 2- 'Why yes, Republican No. 1, it's SO FUNNY, because McCain is obviously a VISIONARY who blows with the WINDS OF CHANGE.'
Republican No. 1- 'Well -- HAHA -- he's not old enough to be PUSHED OVER by them because he's too WEAK and GERIATRIC to STAND, that's for sure!'
Republican No. 2- 'Hahaha, how right you are, Republican No. 1, how right you are...'
Alright, I'm finally truly at a loss as for what else to say. Cheers, everyone.