It’s good news that right-wing broadcaster Sinclair had to reverse course on their attempt to get late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel fired, but I have to get real about this situation. Kimmel is an entertainer, not the leader of a progressive opposition party — he’s just a guy. He’s a court jester. What we should be aware of is the fragility of that position when an autocrat takes offense at relatively mild jokes and tries to destroy a person, and we also have to recognize that there are all these undeservedly wealthy people who will eagerly jump to do the wanna-be king’s bidding. If we get rid of Trump, Sinclair will still be there pushing propaganda for the very worst people in the country.
Is this a victory for free speech, though? Allow me to not-at-all subtly draw your attention to the real winners.
Facing the threat of lost
advertising dollars , Sinclair said it “received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives.” Nexstar separately announced an end to its blackout of Kimmel shortly after this article published.
I hope I was clear…the ones who really control everything are the corporations with advertising dollars, that is, capitalism. There is a link between advertising and the will of the people, but it’s weakened by the reliance of those corporations on persuasive lies.
There is still some genuinely good news, though. Sinclair got nothing, their attempt to impose their rotten political beliefs on everyone was thoroughly repudiated, and they ran off whimpering with their tails between their legs.
I do wish this victory was over something more significant than propping up a media figure.
True. But he also became something more than that just as Kirk did.
A right-wing hate-monger in a crowded field of right-wing hate-mongers became a symbol, in the mind of those on the right, of a brave warrior who gave his life for “truth” and to turn back the tide of “wokeness.”
A late-night comedian in a format that’s becoming less and less relevant each pasing year became a symbol, in the minds of those who justifiably hate Trump, of a brave scion against tyranny who was silenced by a wannabe autocrat.
The symbology became more important than the principal actors.
anybody else remember when he cohosted “the man show” with joe rogan?
I don’t watch any Tee Vee much. I occasionally see a bit of a monologue or a few seconds when they chat with someone I want to hear from. As far as I’m concerned the whole thing is a tempest in a tea kettle. But it just goes to show how addled Taco is. To create a firestorm over some gags on a late night chat show is beyond inane.
I’ve begun to see Taco as not only demented in several ways, but terrified. I think somewhere in his demented brain he realizes that there are people out to kill him or put him in jail (and then kill him, like his buddy). It can’t be a comfortable role for him, tho one well deserved.
I used “scion” incorrectly here. I meant something along the lines of a parrhesiastes but that’s a mouthful.
At least he wasn’t exiled like François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire — who, one might add, was an inspiration for several of the Founding Fathers; the ones who rushed to adopt the
ThirdFirst Amendment as among the new Congress’s first orders of business).Yet.
Although I’m pleased to see that I’m not the only one at this fine establishment who remembers Kimmel’s cringeworthy hosting of The Man Show. For that, I probably would suggest “exile” as an appropriate consequence… because it wasn’t about “Real Men” — not even in the tradition of “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche” — but about celebrating ignorance, obliviousness, and arrogance. Very much like his cohost has gone on to do as a “political” commentator…
Joe Rogan also hosted the Man Show.
@ #2, 4, 5: I think “The Man Show” was supposed to be satire, although it wasn’t all that funny.
For some reason I’m reminded of Shakespeare… “Alas, poor Yorick…”
Wait…Rogan hosted The Man Show, too? I thought it was just Kimmel and Corolla…
“…the ones who really control everything are the corporations with advertising dollars, that is, capitalism.”
This is true, of course, but when the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything is a nail. I’ve seen several comments in other venues pointing out that one of the few powers “we the people” can claim is as consumers we have some say in how we spend our money. A national boycott can persuade the powers that be to shift direction, if only ever so slightly.
I enjoy watching Kimmel and his ilk. They make me laugh. In these days of increasing darkness and repression, they’re often the only source of hard hitting truth in the media. The fact that Sinclair cracked because of the threat to their profit motive is immaterial to me. Does it really matter if it was due to money or to strong convictions? I’ll take any wins I can get. If Kimmel gets under Trump’s paper thin skin, so much the better.