The Susan Sequel

Sadly, I had something in mind to write about this week but have decided that it will have to wait. The last few days, something has been bothering me and you know what that means…. you get to read about it. For those of you who may not know, my daughter is a comedian.  Not in the “my kid is funnier than your kid” kind of way; she is an actual, working, professional comedian. At 11 years old, Hannah told Frank and I that she wanted to be the next Ellen DeGeneres. Needless to say, we laughed at her and told her to go play outside (or whatever one told their 11 year-old daughter to do at the time). At 15, after a difficult hip surgery & recovery, we enrolled her in an improv class, which led to stand-up comedy lessons and, to make a long story short, the rest is history. I tell you this not to brag about my daughter (which, clearly, I am always happy to do) but rather, to discuss my personal feelings about the medium of comedy itself. I have always been a fan of comedy… who doesn’t like to laugh? But Hannah, she takes it to a new level; she lives and breathes comedy… reading, watching and absorbing all that she can about the genre. Through her, I have learned and watched with a whole new perspective (because of her experiences, I cried hysterically after watching Mike Birbiglia’s amazing movie Don’t Think Twice; FYI, it was billed as a “comedy”).  The point is this, after spending numerous nights in various South Florida clubs and watching a variety of random comedians, shows and movies, I believe that the good comedians (and there are a lot of bad ones) are exceptionally smart, intuitive, determined and overall, some of the hardest working people around. And, while I used to like comedy, I now love and appreciate it as the unique art form that it actually is.

Which brings me to last weekend’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner and, in particular, headliner & comedian, Michelle Wolf. As an avid watcher of The Daily Show, I was a fan of Michelle Wolf before the WHCD and was looking forward to her performance. Despite all the hullaballoo now surrounding her act, I was NOT the least bit disappointed. Michelle Wolf did exactly what she was hired to do; she was funny, smart, on point and current. She made people laugh; exactly what good comedians do when they are hired to headline an event. That being said, I understand that there are some people who don’t like Michelle Wolf’s brand of comedy, regardless of what she said on Saturday night. Her voice is a little irritating (but not nearly Sam Kinison level), she’s a little raunchy and she’s definitely confrontational. However, anyone who has ever seen her (hello, WHCD planning committee) knows this about her and, personally, it’s what I most appreciate about her act! Therefore, the fact that the WHCD committee cowered and actually apologized for her performance is both galling and infuriating; what joke did she tell that was outside the bounds of any normal comedy routine that we see every day, in every club and on every show, across America. Should you care to answer, I seriously want to know 1) which particular joke offended you and 2) why (please be specific)? However, if you attempt to tell me that you were offended by jokes directed at the Trump administration, do not even begin to waste your breath.

The White House Correspondent’s Dinner (aka Nerd Prom) began in 1921 and is hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), the organization that represents the White House press corps.  The event is typically billed as a celebration of the freedom of the press and the First Amendment yet, our “esteemed president” has elected not to attend what is typically a fun & entertaining night for the last 2 years (the first president to opt out in 36 years). Given his relentless attacks on the press and free speech, his cowardice is no surprise. However, what surprises me the most (and even shocks me) is the absurd and exaggerated reaction to Michelle Wolf’s performance by the free press (how quickly they forget Trump’s non-stop, ruthless & unjustified attacks on them). Yes, she made fun of Trump, Sarah Sanders and KellyAnne Conway; exactly what she was hired to do. Her brand of comedy is biting, satirical and, overall, pretty damn funny (in my humble opinion).  The Trump administration (including the head Cheeto) deserves to be mocked; they are liars and for the most part, terrible people. At last count, the media stated that Trump and his administration have told over 3,000 lies since taking office; yet, they’re suddenly “offended” when a comedian points this fact out in public? All I can say is this: save your hypocrisy & save your outrage; Donald J. Trump is a horrible person and a disgrace to this country (and any comedian pointing that out is merely stating the obvious).

If you don’t care for Michelle Wolf, that’s one thing; however, get off your moral high horse if you are trying in some way to “defend” Trump or his minions. If you aren’t vocally & loudly outraged by Trump’s numerous daily insults, I do not want to hear from you. Did it bother you when Trump: called Kim Jong Un “very honorable” (in the past year, he was complicit in the murder of both his half-brother and Otto Warmbier, an American citizen); when he physically mocked disabled reporter, Serge Kovaleski at an election rally; when he called MSNBC’s Mika Brzenzinki  “low I.Q. Crazy Mika… bleeding badly from a face-lift”; when he called former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, “Miss Piggy & Miss Housekeeping”; when he called US Congresswoman Frederica Wilson “wacky” and a “disaster”; when he called US Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pochahontas”, “Goofy” and a “lowlife”; when he called Chuck Todd “sleepy-eyed” (a known anti-Semitic slur); or when he called African countries “shitholes”.  These few insults don’t even scratch the surface of the multitude of barbs thrown daily at his political “rivals”: Rand Paul (“truly weird, spoiled brat”), John McCain (“dummy”), Adam Schiff (“sleazy”, “liddle” and “leakin”), Chuck Schumer (“clown” and “cryin”), Jeb Bush (“low energy”, “puppet” and “pathetic”) and the grandmamma of them all… Hillary Clinton (“crooked”, “liar”, “reckless” and “very dumb”).  Sadly, this extensive list doesn’t even begin to cover all the ridiculous nonsense he’s said in just the last few months alone (I’m not even going to address the Access Hollywood tape; it speaks for itself).  So, save me your feigned outrage.  If you don’t like Michelle Wolf’s brand of comedy, so be it. However, remember that she is a comedian, paid to make us laugh and think; Trump is the leader of the free word and nothing he says is remotely funny or thoughtful.  Maybe pause and take a breath the next time a comedian supposedly “insults” you.

Anyways,  I think that is enough ranting & raving for one day; I feel much better getting that off my chest (though I’m not sure you’re feeling much better having read it all). I’m home today because Frank had his 50th birthday gift colonoscopy (all good, thanks) and heading to Boston tomorrow to pack up my girl.  Not surprisingly, I have lots of thoughts for my next post because I got side tracked this week. Until then, support Michelle Wolf if you get a chance… she has a new Netflix series starting May 27th (The Break with Michelle Wolf) and I, for one, cannot wait to watch! Happy hump day!