I've never been a fan of Kathy Griffin, and I'm certainly not a fan of CNN, but she may just have been ahead of the curve with her infamous "severed head" bit. I admit that what she did was more than a bit strong; forgive the pun; too cutting edge. But, in light of what our evil orange Kim Jong-un imitator and wannabe has done with his anti-Earth decision, I suspect more people will eventually come to see Griffin's action as maybe not so far beyond the pale after all. Perhaps, in the meantime, she could just pose with a depiction of a burning, cracking Earth.
Kathy Griffin has apologized, saying what she did went too far. Fellow comic Jamie Foxx had this to say:
Listen, as comedians, sometimes you do go beyond, past the line. I still love Kathy Griffin. She went past the line, she’ll pay for it in the way she pays for it, and we’ll go out and laugh with her again.Another fellow comic, Jim Carey, has defended her. As Carey said, "The joke is not the problem."
Context matters. In one instance, a comedian held a depiction of the severed head of one asshole. In the other instance, an asshole has gravely endangered the lives of billions of human beings, born and as yet to be born. So, where should Kathy Griffin stand on the scale of inappropriate behavior? I even have to wonder how these two events would have been received if their chronological order had been reversed.
Don the Con, who once characterized Megyn Kelly as having "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her-- whatever," responded to Griifin’s action by saying that Griffin is sick (pot calling the kettle black there) and that his 11-year-old son, Baron, was having a hard time with what she did. Then again, I am sure that many 11-year-old girls were freaked to hear a presidential candidate bragging about grabbing girls by the pussy and walking into the dressing rooms of naked 13 year old models, etc.
Apparently, like father like son, little Baron has no problem with his mommy’s fab collection of porn pics. Either way, the kid is going to grow up muy warpo just because of his lineage.
Comedy isn’t always pretty. At its darkest, the edgy stuff can even seem to be not comedy at all, but, whatever you want to call it, it sends a message. It is still, under our Constitution, free speech, and, let’s face it, when Republicans are rightly excoriated for literally hanging and burning effigies of Barack Obama and indulging in their birtherism conspiracies and worse, they are the first to yell "free speech" and whine about political correctness.
El Señor Trumpanzee himself has encouraged violence at his rallies, saying that he would even cover the legal fees. Like others in his party, he has hinted about second amendment solutions to his political rivals such as Hillary Clinton. So, Trump is a fine one to jump all over Kathy Griffin for what she did. Dear Don the Con, how ‘bout seeing to your own backyard.
By and large, most Americans, regardless of where their individual politics land on the political spectrum condemned Griffin’s action. However, Trump and his supporters are now engaged in one of the things that is a favorite pastime of Republicans, bullying and even death threats. For what? Free speech? The stench of hypocrisy is strong with these people.
Why our sorry excuse for a so-called leader does what he does is much discussed. He is a Marvel Comics or DC Comics Lex Luther-esq villain come to life, right down to his freakish facial expressions and bizarre hair. The serious mental illness of the man is a given. It actually goes without saying. How any clear-headed person can watch him and listen to him speak without seeing the obvious sickness is beyond any rationality.
Does Trump support the mass death-causing elimination of healthcare for millions after promising the opposite because, like a comic book villain, he is so angry at humanity over some misperceived slights in his past? Did he withdraw our country from the Paris Accords, eliminate millions of future renewable energy jobs, and, lower our standing in the world community for the same reason? How many Americans will his environmental policies end up killing? The answer to that one is more than all terrorist attacks to date.
Is Trump’s megalomania so far out of control that he is determined to have his name writ huuuge in history by continually committing crimes against all of humanity no matter what? History is full of horrifically disturbed Lee Harvey Oswalds, mad bombers, and authoritarian despots who felt the same way. For true psychopaths, having their names in the bright lights and history books is the important thing, not necessarily how they got there.
Suppose that, later this year, it is proven that Donald J. Trump is what he appears to be, a Russian agent, a Manchurian President who has been doing Putin’s bidding every step of the way, from eliminating the sanctions on Russia to dividing us away from our strongest allies, and hampering our future economy. Renewable energy jobs? Who needs ‘em? How many Americans then will agree with or feel a bit better about what Kathy Griffin did? How many will see her as yet another artist who once presented a prescient glimpse of the future?
In what is left of that future, our grandchildren will suffer from the results of a Trump presidency. Trump’s grandchildren may very well have to change their surnames.
And, a little thank you from all of us at DWT for a Saturday night/Sunday morning... a kind of bonus. Enjoy:
BRAVO!
ReplyDeleteMy musical tastes tend to run more to Steely Dan, but I loved this video! Where DID you find it?
We will definitely not last through all four years of the term of this ignorant, destructive and evil man. Probably not even until the midterms. A year and a half is much too far away given that each week the horrors of this administration continue to mount at mind boggling speed. The pile of manure Trump and his crew are creating on a daily basis stinks to high hell. Trump is doing to this country what he did to his businesses - running it into the ground while cashing in for himself. He had repeatedly been bailed out by American banks, who eventually refused to do so, and over the years has become increasingly reliant on Russia. There is no other possible spin to Jared's meetings with the Russians. Jared's behavior is treasonous beyond belief - politics for money - sanctions lifted for money.
ReplyDeleteIt is crystal clear what is going on - Trump and his family are out to further enrich themselves beyond their wildest dreams (as well as to save them, especially Jared, from their terrible business decisions and looming debt), with a bunch of traitorous cohorts surrounding and enabling him and Russia at their backs. The Russians have money is their hands, ready to deliver piles more of it to the Trumps for doing their bidding. It is all about MONEY and always has been. It is all so pathetically obvious by now.
Something must be done and soon. Very soon. The Republicans will do nothing until it is too late, if even then. Mueller had better get a move on.
Given the orangeman's recent absurd, totally unnecessary stance against the climate pact, what will stop him from dropping a bomb? He has no reservations whatsoever about his impulses. Maureen Dowd has a really good take on it all - Trump loves blasting loud music just to annoy his neighbors. He loves saying "fuck you" to everyone. Now he is doing it to our country and the entire world. His supporters, at this point, are enablers and deserve any blowback they get. Unfortunately, many other innocent people will suffer and be dragged down as well.
He CANNOT continue to get away with this. He must be stopped!!!!!
Hone, don't rely on midterms. American voters are stupid. And there won't be any possibility of change since the only possible alternative in the entire universe will be corrupt feckless deomcraps (who won't ever impeach anyone; just ask Pelosi). I mean, it's a law of physics that americans can only have 2 awful choices... right???
ReplyDeleteThe world is beginning to finally understand what a boorish buffoon this pos is. By extension, they are also, hopefully, peeking from their blindfolds at the American electorate as well.
ReplyDeleteThe most damaging result of all of this will likely be the world FLEEING from the dollar as the world's reserve currency. And when, not if, they do, it will be an Armageddon that will make 2008 and the '30s seem like a little doggy doo on our shoes in comparison.
The dollar's status as reserve currency is what affords us our debt > GDP -- because we still can borrow. When nobody will lend us any more, then what? Insolvency or raise taxes? Since the latter violates our religion, it'll be insolvency.
We all know how ambivalent the drumpfsterfire has always been to paying his obligations.
Noah hilarious as usual
DeleteThat's some lovely singing. This might be just the hook to get more people into the passion of opera.
ReplyDeleteekstase
Good piece, Noah -- and that opera video's hysterical! I have no opinion about Kathy Griffin in general and I don't know the context of the severed head "joke," but as Noah points out, next to the destruction Trump has wrought, it means nothing. Trump has lowered -- nay, buried -- the bar for public discourse and suddenly he and his followers are offended? Please.
ReplyDelete