Another week of extremely problematic events is in the books. Highlights include Salon's takedown of noted terrible person John Podhoretz and XO Jane's critique of the remarkably sexist new video from Meghan Trainor. As always, dial up everythingsaproblem.tumblr.com to see what the latest outrages are.
I wanted to take a brief moment to highlight something we all know, but few are brave enough to say: Saturday Night Live is simply too conservative, a hotbed of reactionary thought. Fortunately, former cast member Horatio Sanz is here to show us just how problematic the show has become.
Back in the good old days, SNL was all about sticking it to the man. Gerald Ford was a dolt. Ronnie Reagan was a secret genius pulling the strings during Iran-Contra. Bush was a prevaricating mumbler. Bush II was a jokey fratboy dudebro. Sure, the show made some missteps—remember when they mocked Hillary Clinton's eminently reasonable claim that she was co-president by portraying her as a henpecking shrew emasculating her husband? SMDH at that—but it has long been a force for progress.
Not anymore. It's hands off those conservatives! Now it's all jokes about Democrats. And not particularly good ones. Here's Sanz, talking to Grantland's Bill Simmons: "It should be a little anti-establishment, a little less conservative. So I think that the message of the show has become less about, you know, these leftist politics, and more just about being popular." There is, he said, too much "conservative bullshit" on the show.
Preach it, man! Sanz is right to suggest that jokes about Nancy Pelosi should be off-limits. Why take shots at a one-time speaker of the House who has been in Congress for 22 years and routinely lands near the top of Roll Call's annual list of wealthiest members of Congress when you should be focusing on the establishment? What, Sarah Palin's not funny anymore?
A cold open ripping Hillary Clinton? A former first lady and secretary of state and senator who has been around DC for decades now? Sanz seems to approve of the impression for a moment before remembering that this is gross punching down. The bit must have been written by the show's resident reactionary. Lord knows there's nothing funny or ironic about a deeply unlikable woman with a desperately shrill laugh who has never won a competitive election, hates transparency, and loves giving six-figure speeches to big businesses believing she should be the standard bearer for the Democratic Party. LOL.
Take some shots at THE ESTABLISHMENT, SNL. Come on.
I give the transgression of SNL serving as a mouthpiece for the American right three problematics.
