I have had a lifelong interest in comedy. I've been writing it since I was a kid, some of it professionally. I am fortunate enough to have a comedy group and I am a devotee of satire and of stand ups. Though there are far too few of them, I also enjoy a well crafted sitcom.
So when talk of humor turns serious and makes the news, I take special note.
And in case you haven't noticed, it's open season on comedians which is ironic since we have a clown occupying the highest office in the land. Professional comedians and talk show hosts thanked the comedy gods when Trump was put into office knowing that he would provide them with bushels of material not seen since the Reagan administration. But things have taken an ugly turn and while making jokes in the land of free has always been a right just as free speech has been a right, it is something that no longer is guaranteed and that is alarming.
I think every American citizen should be allowed to burn the flag. Would I do it? No, absolutely not. Do I think you should do it? No, never. But one of the freedoms we have been able to enjoy until recently is freedom of expression...freedom of speech. If someone feels that burning the flag expresses their feelings, they may do so without consequence. And the government agrees. Laws making it illegal to burn the flag have consistently been voted down by our elected officials.
Kathy Griffin posed for an unfortunate picture clutching the cut off head of Donald Trump. Is it something I would've done? No. I am one of many who hold #45 in great contempt but I cannot conceive of ever creating any punchlines or pictures that deal with the demise of the commander in chief nor endorse anything that threatens him harm.
But throughout history, jesters and comedians have jabbed power with barbs. Satirists like Mort Sahl and Mark Russell, George Carlin and indeed Mark Twain have always held those in office accountable and the American people are better off for it. Comedy is an art and this is not a good time for the arts. The current administration is cutting funding for the arts almost as fast as they are cutting needed funds for the less fortunate.
The Trumpbots of the rigid right are aghast! Oh the humanity! Look what this comedian did! She has crossed a line! They are fretting and moaning and calling (ironically) for the head of Kathy Griffin. The same people who looked the other way when singer Ted Nugent repeatedly called for the death of Barack Obama, and not as part of a comedy act. That joker was serious. So Trump hosted Nugent at the White House.
Bill Maher should know better. You steer as clear as you possibly can from the "N" word or any form of it. In a lame attempt to be funny, Maher uttered a slur and inadvertently became more fodder for the outraged right who have been looking for an excuse to bring the notoriously liberal and outspoken comedian/host down in exchange for the sins of pointing out the obvious failures and flaws of right wing republicans. They see blood in the water now, even though the GOP record on civil rights pales in comparison to what Maher has done for that cause. Maher is not prejudiced. He has been a truth teller and an advocate for civil rights. But none of that matters now. He slipped up and here they come, hot on the trail of vengeance.
The job of a comedian is to push the envelope, speak truth to power, and sometimes they stumble but the penalty should not be to have you life and career ruined by a bully. And if you are paying attention, the leader of the free world has made it his mission to destroy Kathy Griffin. He and his co horts are taking steps to bring the hammer down on her life's work. They are pressuring her sponsors and her concert venues and things germane to her life's work. . With so much work that needs to be done and the cloud of impeachment hovering, your president concerns himself with Kathy Griffin. A lifetime of making people laugh and doing countless charitable benefits and making donations to those less fortunate. ....Griffin and Maher have done that,
Should a mistake or an error in judgement cost any of us our livlihood? Of course it shouldn't. And whether you find Griffin funny or not, indeed even if you don't care for her humor, there is a bigger issue here. A basic freedom is in jeopardy.
So dance on the grave of Kathy Griffin's career if it makes you happy. But hope that your family member, your friend or your co worker does nothing that 45 considers to be an affront . He went after Kathy Griffin and some day he may come after you.
And you would think Trump could appreciate a good joke. It defines his presidency.
