Anything goes in American comedy, no matter how hurtful, outrageous or downright dishonest.
Donald Trump’s America is a paradox: a target-rich environment for humorists but one in which it’s increasingly hard to distinguish reality from outlandish satire. This week, for instance, Trump’s legal spokesman Rudy Giuliani, a former gung-ho prosecutor, insisted the President cannot be indicted while in office, even if he commits murder. Was he having a laugh? Despite its rich comic tradition, contemporary America finds it hard to agree on what is and isn’t a joke.
Consider the following:
Comedian Samantha Bee called the President’s daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump, a “feckless c**t” for posting a pretty photo on Instagram of herself and her infant son Theodore as US immigration officials were enforcing her father’s policy of separating migrant parents from their children at the border as a deterrent to their trying to get into the US.
White House aide Kelly Sadler said seriously ill Senator John McCain’s opposition to President Trump’s nominee for CIA director didn’t matter because “he’s dying anyway”.
Apropos of who knows what, TV star Roseanne Barr tweeted, “muslim brotherhood and planet of the apes had a baby=vj”. The vj in question is Valerie Jarrett, an Iranian-born African-American and senior aide to Barack Obama when he was in the White House.
Observing that nothing else in nature matches the colour of Trump’s hair and an orangutan’s beard, satirist Bill Maher speculated in 2013 that the future President might be the spawn of a sexual encounter between his mother and an orangutan in Brooklyn Zoo. Maher offered Trump US$5 million if he conclusively proved otherwise.
Denne historien er fra June 16-22 2018-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra June 16-22 2018-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
