After 8 years of ignoring the Teleprompter-In-Chief, an executive that was ripe for satirical humor, the leftists aren't going to be able to jump back into the "business as usual" mode now that a Republican is in office.
Posted on 12/26/2016 8:37:55 AM PST by raccoonradio
Didja hear the one about Trump?
Yeah, me neither.
The campaign season that was a gold mine for late-night hosts and “Saturday Night Live” has morphed into a post-election land mine for local stand-up comics, who say jokes about the president-elect go over like a gold-plated balloon.
“This election was the most polarizing election in the history of our country,” said Jody Sloane, a Boston-based comic. “To even lightly joke about Trump leads Trump supporters to assume you are a Hillary supporter and the hatred ensues. You run the risk of losing half of your audience — actually, less than half, based on popular vote — but it’s just not worth it and, furthermore, it’s too damn easy.”
“When I was performing leading up to the election, if you mentioned Hillary’s name, you alienated half your audience, if you mentioned Trump’s name, you alienated half your audience,” agreed comedian Jimmy Tingle. “When you mention people’s names or political party, that’s when people fall into their camps.”
“You can’t win” when you get political, says Boston-based comedian Will Noonan, whose 26,000 Twitter followers have hassled him for being too harsh on Trump, too harsh on Hillary, and not harsh enough on either.
It’s a shame, Noonan said, because he personally finds Trump prime fodder.
“He talks about his dead parents the way I talk about my snow plow guy. ‘Fantastic people! Did a great job!’ ”
But it’s hard to craft stand-up material when audiences can react to it so divisively.
Even in the mostly blue Bay State, comedian Wanda Sykes was booed down during an anti-Trump screed at TD Garden last month.
Conversely, Noonan likens one post-election stand-up gig in liberal-skewing Cambridge to “a eulogy.”
“I was in New York on 9/11. I saw people take that better than this election,” Noonan said.
“People are kind of on edge,” agreed stand-up comedian and Boston Herald Radio host Steve Sweeney. “There’s a lot of anger in the emotional climate. We were all looking forward to a sense of relief when this thing was over. But it’s not.”
“Especially in Massachusetts, you have people who are still in mourning,” said comedian Chris Zito, co-host of the “Zito and Kera” radio show on Springfield’s Mix 93.1, who occasionally gives in to the temptation to impersonate Trump’s distinctive phrases.
“He says ‘believe me,’ like a salesman, after every sentence,” Zito said. “The last guy I believe is the guy who keeps saying ‘believe me.’ ”
There are ways to tell Trump jokes, even to sensitive audiences, experts say.
Local comedy producer John Tobin said good comics can navigate a Trump joke with a soft hand.
“The good ones are the ones that tell the jokes, and you can’t really tell which side of the aisle they’re on,” he said. “If it’s an overly one-sided rant one way or the other, then I think the crowd can turn on you.”
“I think Donald Trump is going to be writing our act for us, I think every week is going to be a new sitcom,” said Boston comedian and Dirty Water TV co-host Dave Russo. “As a comedian, no one is off limits.”
But not every comedian finds the new president funny.
“I’m an old, fat white guy. On paper, it looks like I won this,” said local stand-up legend Tony V. “I’ve lived through the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and both Iraq wars. And this is the most frightened I’ve ever been.”
they never made jokes about obama, either.
actually, if comedians weren’t so bitter, hateful and politicized, there’s PLENTY of funny, good-natured jokes that could be be made about President Trump that all sides would enjoy.
Just yesterday, Howie Kurtz (basically a President Trump supporter) ended his show by tugging on his hair and making a remark that it was real, without actually referring to President Trump, but for anyone paying attention, we got the joke, and it was actually pretty funny.
tons of possible skits. example: President Trump look-alike moving from opulent Trump Tower to dump in White House and orders fixes. Decorators spray paint parts of White House with little cans of gold spray paint. President Trump comes back and takes one look and says, “That’s better”.
Sure, they teach about how Democratic President Abraham Lincoln defeated the evil Republican Southerners to free the slaves.
The first I heard of it was for Nixon.
Here I thought the only reason why comedians didn’t make jokes about Zero because he WAS the joke.
What BS. Most the so called comics just put out an anti-trump screed. There is no humor at all in it. The left is not funny. They are for the most part humorless.
Trump should be the butt of jokes, paradox, and satire. I think Trump himself has a great sense of humor and can be very funny. His campaign of trolling, parady of the left, mockery, biting satire, and over the top deliberate exaggerations left with my sides split at times. The left were left clueless. Heck even some Trumps nuts didn’t see his humor.
The new season of prime time TV will be full of Trump vitriol. We are still watching reruns.
http://comicallyincorrect.com/2016/05/17/wa-post-on-trump/
http://comicallyincorrect.com/2016/12/24/with-friend-like-these/
“To even lightly joke about Trump leads Trump supporters to assume you are a Hillary supporter and the hatred ensues. You run the risk of losing half of your audience —”
Yeah, the good half.
Unless the Comedy Store accepts EBT cards, it’s back up to much more than half their audience.
“Well, maybe if comics actually told funny jokes instead of vicious slanders people might laugh. “
The test for humor vs. politics is, if the audience laughs, it was probably funny. If they applaud it was not funny but they agree with the comedian. There is a huge difference. I only got satellite radio for my car because I liked comedy. But other than the redneck channel it was vile and left me angry. I cancelled satellite. I haven’t watched or consumed any comedy for years because it is puerile and hateful.
Well, they should be keeping their promises and packing up for their move out of the country.
Last time I tried to look at SNL it was awful... crude..
wasn’t even funny at all.. they should cancel that show because it is nowhere near what it once was.. MSNBC has funnier skits on it’s daily programs than does SNL these days.. It really sux badly. Everyone in our house rejects it. Its sad.
Conservatives didn’t whine about being afraid when Obama won, they just went out and bought more guns.
” I haven’t watched or consumed any comedy for years because it is puerile and hateful.”
We usually don’t like comedians either because of the raunchiness. We have found Jim Gaffigan to be safe. He doesn’t do political jokes AFAIK.
And there is always Tim Hawkins :)
Absolutely false. The foreign born socialist muslim racist in the white shack has been the most singularly destructive polarizing force this country has ever seen. And conservatives have seen, first hand, what 28 years of globalist, treasonous presidents have done to America.
We merely responded to an already polarizing, divisive force.
The past 28 years and our decline into darkness is what happens when we allow liberals to dominate our culture.
Think about it this way, comics:
You could have made jokes for the last 8 years at Obama’s expense but you didn’t want to alienate the liberals...
After 8 years of ignoring the Teleprompter-In-Chief, an executive that was ripe for satirical humor, the leftists aren't going to be able to jump back into the "business as usual" mode now that a Republican is in office.
Another one is that insufferable pr*ck Seth Meyers. His late night Trump bashing continues unabated. And to make it even more infuriating is the vapid grin with every insult. I despise ‘comedians’ that laugh at their own jokes.
On January 20 President Trump will outlaw pre-shredded cheese in order to make America grate again.
This situation with Trump is very odd for me. I have never been in a situation where I don’t understand any part of the basis for the ideas. Its really hard to argue with them when they see things so differently.
I should be offended. Because the basis of their argument is that I am a racist, along with everyone else who voted for Trump.
According to the democrats Trump is Dump. He is a racist. He is a homophobe. And he abuses women. For some reason he is also pro KKK, and hates Jews as well as Muslims. Its like every group can claim to be victimized by him.
Now they also are saying that he is making money off the Presidency. And that business people are corrupt. Billionaires are corrupt. And the only people who could possibly govern legitimately are politicians.
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