Oops

Los Angeles, California

I was enjoying brunch time with an amiga especial. This longtime frister is so busy in her life that time spent together is indeed special and rather rare. A lovely time was had, catching up on our very different lives, commiserating a bit, and sharing the inevitable exchange about current events. Some topic we were touching on reminded me of something I had seen discussed on Real Time with Bill Maher. I enjoy watching this show (in fact, have attended many tapings of it here in LA). I don't always agree with everything I hear on the show, but I often come away more informed as I often feel the depths of the discussions illuminating.

I also find it somewhat enlightening to try to understand why so many of my friends have stopped watching him. For some, the dinner with Trump was the killing point. Others object to his staunch support of Israel. One friend objected to his complaints about liberals or more accurately, wokeness. On this day, I was surprised that my friend said she had taken a break from watching the show after a comment that he made about Dolly Parton. I asked her if this had been on his show which she confirmed. But as I hadn't heard it, I googled it when I got home.

Yes, he had made an offhand remark about Dolly's physical attributes. We'll leave it at that. The comment was made during his brief stand-up routine that begins each show. It's my least favorite part of the show so I may have left the room to freshen up my cocktail. At any rate, I wasn't aware of it until I read it online. But I will say that I have heard more offensive things come out of his mouth. Still, Dolly is so beloved, and I do get it. You probably shouldn't go after the sacred cows in our culture. Or should you?

I'm not a big a fan of stand-up comedy. Never really have been. I like my comedy situational. I am however a big fan of Marc Maron and also of Garrison Keillor. Granted they are more monologists than comedians (ok, Maron is straddling the line). I have heard Marc Maron make some outrageously offensive comments. But I am too old for cringe, and I find a lot of this, not all but a lot, entertaining. I think comedy is a lot like being in a relationship with a man. Some of it is going to border on intolerable, but all the good stuff provides the reason you stay with him.

Honestly, I think the thing that bothers me about this is how unfunny our world has become because of how easily we are all offended. I came of age in the era of Monty Python, and National Lampoon. I laughed my way through the film Airplane which skewered every racial, ethnic and sexual identity it could get its hands on. You couldn't make that film today. Really, I don't think Mel Brooks could make The Producers today. When did our culture become so snowflake-infused that any humorous or parody shade thrown is a reason to shun?

And, frankly, haven't we gotten into all kinds of trouble with the hyper vigilant canceling of what we deem inappropriate or offensive? Lest we all forget Al Franken, there is a huge spectrum between the criminal activity of Hamas, Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and Trump, and the comedians and commentators who might make light of something more deserving of gravitas. I think this is one of the many areas that we liberals have gotten wrong.

And back to Dolly. I do get it. We used to hear that tragedy plus time equals comedy. And clearly no time at all had passed when he made this comment. But, was Dolly's death a tragedy? I don't think so. She lived a wonderful life, beloved by just about all. And since she made so many jokes about her own physical endowments, I'm not sure she wouldn't have had a great retort to Maher's comment. Do I wish she was still here to do that? Of course. We all do. But at the same time, I'm kinda grateful for Bill Maher being here and for the politically incorrect commentary he is still presenting, even with the occasional oops.