Comedy used to be the one thing that transcended politics. Whether you’re a conservative or a liberal, funny was just funny and humor was inclusive to all. Unfortunately, in such polarizing times, the comedy branch of Hollywood has chosen to narrow its target audience by alienating the roughly half of the nation who supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
Yes, the Left owns comedy. They have for decades. But even as recently as ten years ago, the bitter partisanship was restrained in comparison to what we have witnessed since Trump announced his candidacy. What is defined as “comedy” by today’s standards isn’t what’s actually humorous, it’s provocative viciousness that’s exclusively targets conservatives.
It seems that prominent comedians continue to hit new lows whether it’s on television or social media. But this week in particular has been a tough pill to swallow.
Michelle Wolf Celebrates Abortion
After the announcement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement, the Left has been in complete freak-out mode about the possibility that a conservative-controlled Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade and outlaw abortions, a scare tactic Democrats have used for ages. So on her Netflix program, Michelle Wolf shared a “salute” to abortions.
“Some people say abortion is ‘killing a baby.’ It’s not. It’s stopping a baby from happening,” Wolf told her audience. “It’s like Back to the Future and abortion is the DeLorean. And everyone loves DeLoreans.”
Obviously, she’s wrong. Abortions don’t stop babies from happening. Not having sex does. And while everyone may love DeLoreans, polls have shown throughout the years that at least half the country opposes abortions.
She later celebrated abortions in a Fourth of July-style parade march. “God bless abortions and God bless America!” Wolf cheered.
Look, it’s one thing to be pro-choice. It’s another thing to treat abortions so nonchalantly as if it were some fun activity like getting a manicure or even smoking pot. No one looks forward to having an abortion, and the decision to have one is serious. For Wolf to throw confetti around like it’s a birthday party only displays the sick irony of her skit.
Sacha Baron Cohen Treats Sarah Palin Like Dirt
Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse this week, Sacha Baron Cohen out of nowhere takes the cake.
Cohen, the British actor behind his various prankster personas like Ali G, Borat, and Bruno, has been promoting his secretive new project, “Who Is America?” which is supposed to air this month on Showtime. Apparently in the process (at least according to Matt Drudge), Cohen managed to dupe several prominent political figures on both sides of the aisle, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, Howard Dean, Bernie Sanders, and Sarah Palin.
Palin took to Facebook to explain how the actor had pranked her.
“For my interview, my daughter and I were asked to travel across the country where Cohen (I presume) had heavily disguised himself as a disabled US Veteran, fake wheelchair and all,” Palin wrote. “Out of respect for what I was led to believe would be a thoughtful discussion with someone who had served in uniform, I sat through a long ‘interview’ full of Hollywoodism’s disrespect and sarcasm – but finally had enough and literally, physically removed my mic and walked out, much to Cohen’s chagrin. The disrespect of our US military and middle-class Americans via Cohen’s foreign commentaries under the guise of interview questions was perverse.”
She also alleges the production company “purposefully” dropped her and her daughter off at the wrong Washington DC airport after the fake interview, “knowing” they’d miss all the flights back home to Alaska, putting them in what she described as a “three-day” bind. I like Cohen as a comedic actor, but if he did what the former Alaska governor described, that truly is not comedy. It’s cruelty.
Cohen’s Prank Was Worse Than Mean to Palin
There is no question that Palin’s outspokenness and vibrant personality make her an easy target. Politicians shouldn’t be off-limits from pranks, but we aren’t just talking about a joke in poor taste. We’re talking about stolen valor.
Haters can hate on Palin, but one thing about her that both sides should praise is her dedication to the U.S. military and our veterans. So the fact that Cohen had to disguise himself as a disabled vet to bait her into participating in some sort of sham speaking engagement with the sole purpose to embarrass her is repugnant. CBS and Showtime should be ashamed for allowing Cohen to pull off such a disgusting prank.
Palin challenged Cohen, CBS, and Showtime to not only air the full interview unedited but to donate all the proceeds to American veterans’ charities. After all, their profit from Cohen’s disguise as a disabled veteran goes against the legal definition of stolen valor.
The most saddening thing about all of this is that such so-called “comedy” will only get worse as the country continues to divide. The standards will keep lowering and lowering to the point that there is no such thing as hitting rock bottom. It is a bottomless pit of blind hostility and pessimism towards Republicans and Trump supporters.
Comedy is supposed to connect us as humans. Now it’s tearing us apart.
