I am a fan of Bill Maher and Kathy Griffin. They are exceptionally bright showpeople,
full of biting wit and often outlandish comments and behavior. Their politics and their sense of humor may
not appeal to you and that is, of course, OK.
But in the genre of funny critics of our current state few rank as high
and perform as well as Kathy and Bill.
So, I do not get the big deal over their so-called faux
pas. Did anyone really think that Kathy
Griffin was actually holding the severed head of Donald Trump? I don’t think so. Was the gesture tasteless? Yes.
Was it offensive to Trumpettes?
Yes. Is it classic Griffin
pushing the boundaries of humor?
Yes. But, it was a joke,
people.
Does anyone think Bill Maher is a bigot? I don’t think so. His response to a Kansas senator who invited
him to come to Kansas and work in the fields was, in my opinion, a funny comeback
to a classic conservative remark. This
white senator implied generations of racial discrimination on American
farms. Maher’s response was quick and
pointed. In attacking that kind of
thinking he amplified the point by pointing out that he was not field slave. He was a house slave. He used the lexicon of the Civil War. Yes, a white man used the “N” word, but his
retort was so on target, so quick that I stand amazed by the man’s mind. He was not attacking Blacks, he was defending
them. Was his comment offensive to
some? Yes. Was it classic Maher using shock words to
wake us up to the reality behind our assumptions? Yes.
Was he pushing the boundaries of humor?
Yes. But, it was a joke,
people.
I am reminded of the terror attacks on Charlie Hebdo in
Paris, January 2015, where Muslim extremists killed twelve people at a
satirical magazine because they posted cartoons depicting Mohammed in ways they
did not like. We called such attacks
terrorism. We stood up for free
press. We honored the victims for
pushing the boundaries. We were
horrified that a group would seek to harm people because they did not like the
way their perspective was reflected in the media.
So now, we want to punish Griffin and Maher for insulting
the sensitivities of others? Come
on. Supporting free speech means
supporting all those examples whether we agree with them or not, whether we are
offended by them or not. Leave Kathy and
Bill alone. If you do not like them, don’t
listen to them. Otherwise, worry more
about the people on our planet who cannot take a joke.
