Deciding who will be the next president of our country is no laughing matter - that much is clear. However, lately I've been wondering whether or not this means that politics cannot be seen through a different lense in order to give us all a break from the monotony of the barrage of serious, over-dramatized information we are given daily. Why do the jokes that politicains make have to become a national scandal in new media? When candidates go on late night talk shows or crack jokes in candid moments they are ripped apart the next day as though these comments have any bearing on the issues. Why should politicians press secretaries or public relations consultants have to worry about releasing statements defending their candidates jokes when there are much more important things that their time should be focused on? This may seem trivial to some but I think the lack of fun and enjoyment in politics is disheartening.
To laugh and to joke is part of being human. It makes candidates more relatable and it shouldn't be something that is seized upon as an opportunity to attack. When reading a joke made by McCain and its subsequent political analysis I was shocked that people actually took a joke and transformed it into a reliable source for a candidates "character". This particular article also touched on what we talked about in class on Tuesday; media preferences. http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html Each media source will hone in on ANYthing that can discredit a particular candidate. I hate to say this but so what if McCain thinks Chelsea Clinton is ugly? This has no bearing on his ability to be president or on his character as a human being. The only thing this shows is that he's really a terrible joke teller. Obama's joking attempts to diffuse the tension created by his "lipstick on a pig" comment are hysterical but I am certain that some Palin supporters ( who took the statement out of context) were unwilling to laugh.
What this post is mainly concerned about is why we have allowed politics to breed bitter, cynical voters who can't open their minds to enjoy the times we are living in. Some of what we are facing today is incredibly serious and in no way am I advocating taking the political arena or voting as a joke. But why not laugh sometimes? We shouldn't let the media dictate the way we respond to candidates in their endeavor to portray nearly every action in a negative light. And even though we are facing difficult times right now and this coming election may be the most important in our lifetimes, that doesn't mean that we can't take a little time now and then to ALL laugh at something (or someone).
Here's a site that has some funny jokes about all the candidates and their running mates:
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/johnmccain/a/johnmccainjokes.htm
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3 comments:
One of the reasons I think politics isn't as enjoyable as it should be is because you can never tell what's crossing the line. But other than that, I completely agree with you. I think politics should be fun or at least more fun in the sense that it can be somewhat friendly competition. In reading the article you posted, they mentioned what you said about the joke being "a significant clue into aspects of his 'character,' and thus relevant to the voting public." They then mentioned "But many voters have been spared this insight, thanks to the censors in the press." I can honestly say, I would have prefered to hear this joke because it makes him seem more personable and less rigid, which is what most people think of politicians and Republicans in particular.
I read some of the jokes on that site you posted and by far the best is the one about Palin being pro-life and McCain clinging on to life... Most of the jokes made on McCain involve him being ridiculously old and they're funny because truth is, he's like super old... I think it's important to poke fun at other candidates because it lightens the situation. Although Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are very liberal, I love their shows; they're funny, refreshing AND informative. People have inherently low attention spans and media's role is to be critical of not only politics but of gevernment in general. Shows like theirs provide insight that not only present the facts but they do so in an appealing matter and this to me is responsible journalism and what politics should be about...
I definitely know what you are saying. It seems as though the candidates have to walk on egg shells and be careful about everything they say when, yes, they are only human. However the problem with what they do or don't say, the jokes they make, etc. are all taken and spun in the media as well as by the campaigns themselves. In the presidential campaign it may seem harmless that John McCain makes a joke like his little diddy "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" inserted in the Beach Boys Barbara Ann song. However, the candidates themselves are going to be representing the United States of America to the world. They are definitely people and make mistakes and, bad jokes in this case, but because of who they are and what they are running to stand for, we the American public, the media, etc. hold them to a higher level of expectations and etiquette than normal people. If they say something that is offensive to some, it can be difficult to think that the possible leader of the country could say things that are offensive or vulgar to others, especially others on the world stage. I know that this seems like a far stretch, but that is why we have shows like the Colbert Report or Jon Stewart's show: they make us laugh at the candidates and the PR stunts that they pull. But in fact, this whole subject is about PR and I think there is more thought behind these types of things than we would like to think...
I agree that Politicians must be so careful these days because so many topics are taboo or offensive. However, are we, the public, just being overly sensitive? Of course, there are topics which should not be discussed, but to criticize a politician for an off hand joke or remark taken out of context gets a bit silly really. A joke about McCain's age or Palin's lipstick line does not reflect on policy views. Then again, i do find that McCain's bomb iran joke to be rather distasteful if not frightening. To make light of bombing a country is not funny. it also reads badly on his views of foreign policy. I think that while it's fine that politicians show a humorous side, they must be careful. Leave the more edgy jokes to comedians or the Daily Show. They are candidates to be in one of the most powerful offices in the world and that is not something to be taken lightly
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