I often find myself quoting comedians during discussions about various topics. And with this being the era of YouTube, I'm not limited to just a comic's material, but to a plethora of interviews, radio and TV appearances, and the like to draw my reference. Comedy has always been my selected area of nerdom, and inserting myself into that world for the last 6 years has only heightened that obsession. However, I truly do believe, even if they are not overt social commentators like your Bill Hicks' and George Carlin's, comedians have a great voice on many of the issues that come up in society. I don't think they are smarter, wiser, or more well read than your average person. I just think they are probably the most honest people with a mainstream voice. And in a world where the media and the populace is seemingly teeming with bullshit at any given time, an honest voice is an extremely refreshing voice. And it's an honesty that comes from the unique ability to not give a fuck. Not giving a fuck is honesty in its purest, rawest form. It's an honesty in one's self. See, Larry King and Piers Morgan and all your other relatively centrist opinion givers have a burden. You have to like them. You have to be not too disturbed by how they look or what they say to keep them on the air, so you're never going to hear anything too far from the societal line. It's supposed to be their opinion, but it's mostly bullshit. It's mostly just AN opinion coming out of their face. Even more extreme commentators like Bill O'Reilly and Rachel Maddow fall into this group. It would seem, because they have a more "extreme" view, that they would be more apt to have an honest viewpoint with said view. But it's not. It's just differently framed bullshit. Their still towing a societal line with their opinions. It's just a line on the right or a line on the left. And while that obviously keeps them liked and on the air by the people that agree with them, it also keeps them on the air by the people that disagree with them. People that hate Bill O'Reilly hate him in the same way you hate your rival sport team. I'm an Ohio State fan. I hate Michigan. But do I really hate Michigan or do I LOVE going to games and screaming how much I hate them at the top of my lungs? The hate that people have for O'Reilly and Maddow is really a closer relative to fandom than it is to actual, visceral disdain. Comics don't have that burden. You don't have to like a comic, agree with a comic, or anything else like that. You have to laugh at a comic--be entertained by them. That's their burden. And it's a burden that is very open and allows for more truth that your average commentator is given.
And while my nerdom may draw me to quoting comedians more frequently than others, it's not purely based in that. For the reasons I've stated above, I generally do believe that many comics hold many fresh, interesting, and honest views that are worthy of being brought into various discussions. And I think bringing in the quotes and views of people you respect, both as commentators and people knowledgeable on the subject, is important to discussion. Your views are obviously, at least partially, formed by outside forces and voices. Why hide it? Or why muddle something that is well put just to garble it into your own voice? I quote Danny from "American History X" who said, quoting his brother Derek, which is truly fitting, "Someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong."
With that being said, I would like to create a post where I take a topic, wax on it briefly and then present the views of one or multiple comics who I think really nail the point and present and interesting view on the subject. I would maybe like to make this a recurring post theme in relation to other topics, but we'll see how that goes.
For now, I'd like to talk about "Celebrity." Not celebrities or anyone specific per se. Just the idea of "Celebrity."
A couple days ago, thanks to a lack of cable and a lack of being needed outside my house in the afternoon hours, I watched "Anderson," the new talk show hosted by Anderson Cooper. On the particular episode I watched, he had two women on who are part of a small, but dedicated, group of people who make and/or collect "Reborn" dolls. Reborn dolls are dolls that are meticulously crafted to look and feel like actual, human babies. Not creepy enough for you? Well, one of the 2 women actually takes her doll out in public, in a stroller when out in public running errands. She also straps the doll into a car seat and puts it to bed in a crib. The other woman. Well, she has a YouTube channel where you can actually see her, among other things, feed and change her dolls. But the most surprising part about this episode of "Anderson." In the whole 20 or so minutes these women are on the air, not once does anyone, including Cooper, ever point on that these women are clearly mentally ill. If you have the world's largest collection of Coca-Cola merchandise, you're probably an eccentric collector. A quirky fellow full of more whimsy than your average person. Go ahead, have your 5 minute segment on the local news. If you own dolls that are purposefully meant to mimic and actual human child and then you go out of your way to painstakingly treat it as such, you need serious and immediate psychological help. The only redeeming thing I took away from this segment is that this obsession has most likely somewhat, if not completely, curbed these people's need to actually poison the world with their real offspring. Not that I take pleasure in bashing on a hypothetical, naturally innocent newborn. But let's face it, whether you believe a person is more shaped by nature or nurture, that child would be getting shaped in a super fucked up way on both ends.
So, why are they on TV? They're being exploited. Anderson Cooper isn't not pointing out the fact that these people are clearly disturbed because he doesn't see that or doesn't think they are. He's not pointing it out because to point it out would blow the cover. The jig would be up. You can't bring actual, clinical crazy people onto a stage, paint them truthfully as such and then mock and laugh at them. That'd be perceived as cruel and inhumane. But you can bring them on as "interesting hobbyists" and then feel free to chuckle at them in between ads for Frosted Flakes. Doug Stanhope sums this up best in a segment he does for a BBC news show where he talks about unwanted celebrities and talk show hosts. He uses Oprah as the example, but it's clear that in can be applied to any talk show, including Cooper's.
Finally, the other disturbing thing about this particular show is that these women got two segments. At the top of the show. Who got one segment? Right before sign-off? Edie Falco. An extremely talented actress who has been honing her craft for years and was part of arguably one of the best shows in TV history got the bump spot. Fuck cussing. Fuck sexuality. Or violence. Or any other arbitrarily morally ambiguous themes that entertainment is proposed to be presenting. I find this truly offensive. This episode of "Anderson" should definitely be rated TV-MA. Because only a mature audience, that is wise and jaded enough to know the world is not, and will never be, fair or just or right, should be allowed to be subjected to such a disturbing display of booking. Adam Carolla and Patton Oswalt speak on this phenomenon in a way that is very applicable.
Well, that is all. I hope you enjoyed. [insert strong conclusion here]
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