The Susan Sequel

I know it’s been some time since I’ve written anything. To be perfectly honest, since the Parkland shooting, I haven’t felt all that inspired or in a comical mood. Various things have diverted my attention and I just wasn’t in the frame of mind to write. A few of you actually asked me where I’ve been; which, in a weird way, was oddly comforting (I wasn’t sure how many people were really reading the blog and would notice its absence). Anyway, I’m here and although I don’t have anything in particular to say, I am going to give it the old college try.

As you may remember from my earlier posts, I am a huge fan of television (I am not ashamed to admit that I watch WAY too many shows)! And, while I appreciate a vast array of television programming, my true love is the good, old-fashioned TV sitcom (stop laughing at me Hannah). Yes, I know they’re cheesy, repetitive and often cliché, but there is something comforting and endearing about the situation comedy and there are certainly many funny situations these days. Despite my passion for the sitcom, I am not 100% on board with the whole reboot concept sweeping the nation.  Despite my love affair with the Will & Grace reboot, I have no desire to see a new Murphy Brown (why), Magnum PI (really) or Party of Five (a show that I loved but my husband disparagingly nicknamed “Party of Depressed Losers”). And since my daughter is a TV major who hopes to one day write the next great American sitcom, there are a few things about the reboot concept that I do not totally comprehend: are there no writers with creativity left in Hollywood; is there a time limit on a show’s popularity (Murphy Brown ended in 1998; do we really care anymore) and why are all the current reboots about white families (I was a huge fan of The Jefferson’s as a kid, bring that one back if you must reboot something).

Of course, no discussion about reboots is complete without mentioning the current Roseanne phenomenon. For the record, I do not personally like Roseanne Barr. Even during the show’s original airing, I found her irritating and grating; she wasn’t my idea of funny. None the less, at the time, I respected her talent and her popularity, although I chose not to watch her show. Now ABC has brought Roseanne back and quite frankly, I don’t find her any less irritating or grating. Even the commercial highlighting her laugh grates on me like nails on a chalkboard. I have heard that the show is funny; that it’s a good illustration of middle America in the new “Trump world”. That the character of Roseanne Connor is the Archie Bunker for today’s crazy society. Although I do not watch the show, I feel confident saying that these views are complete & utter nonsense. In reality, Roseanne Barr is a racist, who vocally supports numerous conspiracy theories and MAGA politics.  In 2009, despite being Jewish, she posed for a series of pictures dressed as Hitler, putting gingerbread Jews into ovens (see for yourself at https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/roseanne-s-satirical-photos-as-adolf-hitler-go-viral-1.5976668). More power to you if you “understand” Roseanne’s humor; I respectfully disagree (and so would Kathy Griffin, who was vilified and investigated by the FBI for the picture of her holding a severed, fake “Trump” head). It is also my opinion that the comparisons between the characters of Roseanne Connor and Archie Bunker are similarly misplaced.  By all accounts, the beloved Carol O’Connor played the character of Archie Bunker with aplomb; he was an avowed liberal playing a loveable, although racist, curmudgeon on TV. He and his character were NOT one in the same. However, the character of Roseanne Connor is, from all appearances, based on the beliefs of the actual Roseanne Barr (just with less money). Her portrayal is less a caricature than a sad reflection of a hateful, antagonizing woman (remember her intentional butchering of the Star-Spangled Banner in 1990; funny how she got a reboot and Colin Kaepernick got blacklisted). Just as I refuse to support anything involving Mel Gibson (and his anti-Semitic self), I similarly refuse to support Roseanne Barr, who is spewing the same hatred, albeit in a different form.

I guess for someone with nothing to say, I actually ended up saying a lot (this will not shock anyone who has spent even a short amount of time with me).  And, as I’m typing this, I realize that I’ve missed writing this blog, even though it hasn’t even existed for that long. Believe it or not, it’s actually quite liberating to write down all your thoughts and/or opinions without anyone telling you that you’re wrong (not that I would care). And, while you would think that I could accomplish this same feeling by journaling, it’s a different experience knowing that you are reaching others (and knowing that it doesn’t matter if they agree with you or not).

Enough waxing poetic about writing and Roseanne Barr. I am back and looking forward to writing more. If you have any topics that you’d like to discuss, I am always open to ideas! I hope everyone who celebrated had a Happy Passover and a Happy Easter. I am proud to state that I didn’t have even one marshmallow peep this year; that is a major accomplishment in my little world (I absolutely love their sugary goodness). Off to visit Hannah tomorrow in the cold! Be well everyone (and “just say no” to Roseanne)!