Good Morning.
Live telecasts used to be safe to watch but not anymore, with the possible exception of The Westminster Dog Show, The Masters Golf Tournament, and The Kentucky Derby. During political events or awards shows like the Oscars, it's almost 100% guaranteed that you'll be treated to controversial, cringe-worthy remarks best left at the kitchen table and language that wasn't uttered in public until fairly recently. With taped shows, at least the particularly offensive words can be bleeped out so children aren't contaminated until the age of seven and the elderly aren't reaching for their smelling salts.
The White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night took the decline of civility to a new low, like to the depths of hell. The annual affair is attended by virtually every American journalist, a certain percentage of senators and congresspeople,
cabinet secretaries and administration officials, and other celebrities. Media outlets and reporters are honored for their work, aspiring press people are recognized, and scholarship funds are raised. The occasion is supposed to be a celebration of the First Amendment that allows us to speak and write freely without fear of being hauled off to jail and that also protects the clods who abuse the privilege.
Some presidents attend the gala and some don't. The current guy didn't show last year and went to a rally in Michigan on Saturday instead of presenting himself for certain tar and feathering in Washington. The head of the WH correspondents, Margaret Telav of Bloomberg News, mentioned his absence, asked for a moment of silence for a journalist being held captive in Syria, and talked about her immigrant parents who made it possible for her to have a successful career. So far, so good, but then the podium was turned over to a so-called comedienne named Michelle Wolf who would be our guide into hell for the next twenty minutes. In no particular order, she went after the president, the vice-president, several cabinet secretaries, the most recent Democratic presidential nominee, and several prominent news people. Watching and listening as public figures get roasted has always been the expectation, but this year, the remarks were cruel, vicious, demeaning, and obscene to the point of disbelief. The featured speaker, hired for reasons I cannot fathom, used crude terms for private body parts, discussed the details of an abortion, and attacked the current White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders - seated on the dais - about her physical appearance. Every fifth word should have been bleeped, but with a live telecast, it wasn't possible, see above. I muted the sound every few seconds and eventually switched the channel when I couldn't handle it anymore so I cannot personally report on everything that happened, but I did a little research on Sunday to fill in the gaps.
The verbal pollution was bad enough, but the reaction by the partygoers was even more alarming. A handful of people got up
and walked out, but everyone else waded through the cesspool. On the Sunday political shows, some said those who were offended were overreacting or soft-pedaled the sludge by saying that the event may have crossed the line. Only David Gergen, who served in the administrations of several presidents, firmly declared that the event needs to be cleaned up or shut down.
Wow. The truth is that we - both men and women of whatever political persuasion - have become a bunch of creeps who don't care who we hurt or who we offend. We post vile, even threatening commentary on the Internet. We dismiss petty, childish name-calling and other wretched conduct as acceptable or at least tolerable in today's society. Every single person, from Senator Susan Collins of Maine, always impeccably behaved and well-spoken, to Jake Tapper of CNN, an award winner at the event, should have walked out of the Washington Hilton or, in lieu of such a refreshing display of outrage, Margaret Telav, the MC for the evening, should have intervened, escorted Wolf off the dais, and made the following announcement: I think we've celebrated the First Amendment enough tonight. Please go home and take a shower.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
Comments