I’ve always considered myself a failure as a human being, because despite my desire to understand others, regardless of their station in life or their culture, I’ve never been able to appreciate the types of jokes that Republicans and conservatives find so highly amusing. You know the ones I mean. Jokes with a small dose of violence and murderous intimidation at their core, like this, for example:
Maybe it’s some character flaw in me, some genetic defect, but I just doesn’t get the giggles when conservative friends and acquaintances respond with a little light eliminationist comedic repartee regarding liberals, Latinos, African Americans, environmentalists, feminists and, in general, anyone who doesn’t hold views which are exactly like their own. Case in point: Governor Mike Huckabee’s recent stand up routine at the National Rifle Association convention, where he apparently brought the house down with this crack about Senator, and presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack obama:
ABC News’ Kevin Chupka Reports: Former GOP hopeful and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is back in the news this week, making a splash when he took a hit at Senator Barack Obama during the annual National Rifle Association meeting.
Huckabee made an off-color joke during his speech in Louisville, Kentucky, when a loud bang was heard off-stage.
“That was Barack Obama,” Huckabee quipped, “He Just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he…he dove for the floor.”
Now, I know Huckabee has since apologized for his remarks, but one wonders why he bothered. Clearly he believes remarks regarding the potential assassination of a prominent African American politician is simply one of the most hilarious comments he could have made to members of the NRA, and many of his fellow conservatives obviously agree, or they wouldn’t keep telling us that similar “jokes” by Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly are legitimate sources of humor, which we politically correct and pompous liberals simply don’t get because we take ourselves way too seriously.
Me, I tend to think this kind of thing in an America filled with millions of angry gun owners who sincerely believe Democrats and liberals are out to pry their shotguns, pistols and hunting rifles from their “cold dead hands” is beyond the pale. Certainly, I don’t think liberals making jokes about assassinating President Bush or Senator McCain would or should be considered in any way acceptable, nor do I suspect that most conservatives would disagree with me. Yet, somehow jokes about killing Democratic politicians and other liberal figures is fair game for conservative comics. I think both are equally reprehensible and repulsive. And most definitely not funny.
But then I laugh at stuff like Monty Python routines so what do I know.
I thought it was clever when Eminem sang, “I don’t want dead presidents/I want the president dead.” I was outraged that the Secret Service investigated Eminem, thinking it an interference with artistic expression.
I know exactly what you mean, and it speaks to a larger phenomenon; our political debate in this country is inherently not respectful, but rather, fueled by hatred and sheer emotional reaction. Right wing radio is not about intellectually discussing why the government should be smaller or why taxes should be lowered. Rather, it’s about spewing hate as if it were lava from a volcano. Hatred of the “feminazis.” Hatred of gays. Hatred of “Islamofascists.” Always hatred of whatever “other” gets people the most riled up. And the right wing radio industry is proud of it– ever seen those billboards that declare, in bold letters, “Liberals Hate It!” The movement got kicked off, I think, as a result of the Gingrich revolution, and has thrived on the fears of some (not all!) white men who feel threatened if women or minorities achieve success and become leaders.
And we, in turn, have become just as vehement in our hatred of them as they are of us– it is a natural human response to reciprocate hate, ergo, on left wing blogs, it is very common to find people wishing extreme humiliation and criminal prosecution on the GOP. But, you’re right in that we don’t engage in the assassination/violence rhetoric the way they do. And it’s pitiful, what that mentality has done to our country.
. . . here’s the link to a picture of one such billboard as I described above:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/353/70/1600/liberals_billboard.jpg
Is that WIND as in “big bag of”?
I kinda think jedreport has it about right. It’s sick, it’s lame, he thought he was being cute in front of a gun-lovin’ audience, and it sucked. I say extract the apology, kick him in the junk for it and then we should all shut up about it. All that talk tends to be diversionary (a point on which I think Obama himself would agree) and makes me uncomfortable (plus, it might give some stoopid somewhere a bad idea).
And the Pythons were and are freakin’ gods, btw. Cleese wants to write bits for Obama. Did I mention that? I’m sure I mentioned that.
And it was terribly lame. From what I heard of the audio coming from the crowd, it didn’t seem like most thought it was funny, either.
What’s funny to me is that the media never really seems to examine these Klan fests like the NRA and CPAC that rethugs prostitute themselves in front of. That is some truly bilious “company” our “mainstream” rethugs keep.
Yeah, I read it went over like freakin’ brick–didn’t get to hear it, though. And if he can’t make it there among his jackbooted peeps, well, he shouldn’t give up the day job (whatever that is).
Tough crowd, Huckleberry.
Keep in mind, many people in the NRA know that the idea of randomly killing people undermines their whole agenda. People who own guns tend to do so for two reasons: 1.) hunting, and 2.) self-defense. The whole idea of “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” speaks to the fact that gun-owners do not keep their firearms around for the sake of starting fights or killing anyone unprovoked. So, it doesn’t surprise me that Huckabee’s disgusting remark didn’t go over too well with the NRA crowd.
Worse yet, to be trapped in a Rep mind that does enjoy this style humor. I saw Scalia sneer at the question of whether he had watched Jon Stewart. To live life with arrogance your only source of laughter, now that is tragic.
So true. The RNC crowd thought Colbert was being straight for like, what, the first six months he was on the air? Now, that’s phunny. I honestly think they don’t get satire.