[Hawkeye_a]

Is it just me, or have we all gotten a little too "politically correct" for our own good ?

I remember when Bush Jr, became president (much to my disappointment....twice), there was no shortage of jokes, puns, etc..of this middle-aged-white-male. It continues to this day. Much of it stemmed from disagreements with his policy or just making fun of the guy or his entire family. This was just a few years ago, when everyone was of the opinion that the media is controlled by the 'right', etc,etc...

And now, i have yet to see any skits/jokes about Obama ANYWHERE in pop culture. And, at the risk of sounding like a negative-nancy, his policies seem even less desirable/likable than the previous governments (IMHO).

Could it be that people are not being as critical as they SHOULD be, or the media not making fun of Obama, because he is black/African-American ? I think that's whats happening, and i think most of the people in the media are afraid to do so, lest they be labeled racists/bigots or worse. (BTW, i am not white or black)

This thread is not about the Obama Administration's policies or PR, of which i disagree with quite a bit, this is more about the tone of the media towards them and him as a personality. Would the same have been true if the President was white ? (Clinton is another example that comes to mind).

Discuss...

[SpaceMonkey]

Oh boy.

[The Final Dakar]

Any perception that Obama is less mocked can be easily explained by the fact that W was so easy to mock.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Is it just me, or have we all gotten a little too "politically correct" for our own good ?

Yes, you have. You big bunch of pussies.

[dcmacdaddy]

Ummm, where have you been hiding?

Watch The Daily Show any given week or Saturday Night Live to see major tv programs criticize Obama using humor.

If you want to expose yourself to severe, non-humorous criticism of Obama and his administration read Glenn Greenwald's column on Salon. That guy can't go more than a week without saying something super-critical about Obama (and rightly so, in my opinion).

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy 

Ummm, where have you been hiding?

Watch The Daily Show any given week or Saturday Night Live to see major tv programs criticize Obama using humor.

If you want to expose yourself to severe, non-humorous criticism of Obama and his administration read Glenn Greenwald's column on Salon. That guy can't go more than a week without saying something super-critical about Obama (and rightly so, in my opinion).

Other side of the world actually .... and i do watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report now-n-then. Although, i only see them poking fun at Republicans most of the time.

Are you guys suggesting that the media is equally critical of and making fun of, Obama as much as it did of Bush and Clinton ?

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Are you guys suggesting that the media is equally critical of and making fun of, Obama as much as it did of Bush and Clinton ?

How do you define equal in this context? Are they going to make fun of Obama for being the son of privilege and clearing brush all the time in Texas? Of course not. So what is your expectation for "equal"?

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

How do you define equal in this context? Are they going to make fun of Obama for being the son of privilege and clearing brush all the time in Texas? Of course not. So what is your expectation for "equal"?

1. being critical of some of his policies in pop culture ?
2. making fun of him the way they did of Bush and Clinton. You mentioned a few things that pertain to Bush....all of which i would never have known had i not seen it... in the media. So i assume, u are suggesting that there is nothing the media can find to make fun of Obama ?

I'm dont know any specifics of the man, and quite frankly if it wasn't for the media poking fun at Bush and Clinton constantly, i probably wouldn't have known much about them either.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

1. being critical of some of his policies in pop culture ?
2. making fun of him the way they did of Bush and Clinton. You mentioned a few things that pertain to Bush....all of which i would never have known had i not seen it... in the media. So i assume, u are suggesting that there is nothing the media can find to make fun of Obama ?

I'm dont know any specifics of the man, and quite frankly if it wasn't for the media poking fun at Bush and Clinton constantly, i probably wouldn't have known much about them either.

I ask because I'm not exactly sure what we're talking about here. There are obviously policy criticisms of Obama., "Pop culture" lampooning of Bush was really, IMO, more about his personality along the lines of the things that I referenced. Since Bush's and Obama's personalities are obviously different, it seems silly to me to expect the reaction in pop culture to be "equal."

Offhand, things that are poked fun at about Obama in pop culture:

1. His salad thing, contrasted with his apparent burger fetish
2. Sports obsession
3. For all of his supposed charisma, we're finding out that he's actually kind of boring*
4. He claims to be trying to quit smoking but really, who is he kidding?

* This one is especially important. When you think about it, boring people are difficult to make fun of. I mean sure, you can make fun of Al Gore a few times, but after a while the joke itself, by virtue of the subject, is boring.

Edit: This is still my favorite Obama SNL sketch: http://www.hulu.com/watch/47605/satu...-plays-it-cool

[OAW]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Any perception that Obama is less mocked can be easily explained by the fact that W was so easy to mock.

I think there have been plenty shows that make fun of Obama. But I haven't seen many that openly mock him simply because his personality and speaking ability don't lend themselves very well to that.

As for the "political correctness" question ... there may be something to that. I doubt we'll ever see a white comedian trying to imitate him. That would be too reminiscent of a "blackface" skit. A black comedian might but if I had to put money on it we won't see a whole lot of that for a while. Obama is a trailblazer in the black community and remains very popular so most aren't going to go there. A notable exception would be season premiere of The Boondocks. The show is viciously satirical ... and downright hilarious. Easily the most hardcore, satirical show on TV since the demise of The Chappelle Show. I know there was some backlash against the show's creator Aaron McGruder with some calling him a "hater" for going after Obama (as well as the hugely successful Tyler Perry). I've been recording the entire season but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet ... so I can't comment on this particular episode.

OAW

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by OAW 

I doubt we'll ever see a white comedian trying to imitate him. That would be too reminiscent of a "blackface" skit. A black comedian might but if I had to put money on it we won't see that anytime soon.

Fred Armisen is SNL's Obama impersonator (featured in my Hulu link above). According to Wikipedia, his mother "is of Venezuelan descent and his father is of German and Japanese ancestry." There was discussion about the racial angles when he first starting "doing" Obama:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...022803988.html

[The Final Dakar]

Fred Armisen is ****ing creepy.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Fred Armisen is ****ing creepy.

I don't know what you are talking about:

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by OAW 

(as well as the hugely successful Tyler Perry)

Which is a mystery to me, as everything he does is terrible.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Any perception that Obama is less mocked can be easily explained by the fact that W was so easy to mock.

Case in point:

YouTube - Frank Caliendo Bush Impression

[The Final Dakar]

Don't get me started, I almost started a thread as soon as I read that.

[OAW]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Fred Armisen is SNL's Obama impersonator (featured in my Hulu link above). According to Wikipedia, his mother "is of Venezuelan descent and his father is of German and Japanese ancestry." There was discussion about the racial angles when he first starting "doing" Obama:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...022803988.html

Oh wow! I haven't seen SNL in years since IMO the show jumped the shark a long time ago. Other than the Tina Fey clips of Sarah Palin, I haven't tuned into it at all. I had no idea that SNL even went there with Obama. In any event, as you can see the performance raised plenty of eyebrows ... which is my point. So it's been done ... but I don't think we'll see a lot of it for that very reason.

OAW

[besson3c]

I'm not sure I see this argument.

Right now so much of the media seems consumed with the so-called war between the right and the far right, and a little bit of the far left and possibly a subset of the left in general against Obama's policies. There is plenty of reporting on tea party stuff, and many other things such as there is for any sitting president. When has there not been this sort of thing for a sitting president?

[Dork.]

I simply don't think Obama is interesting enough as a person to mock. I think Bush made a terrible President, but he would definitely make a more interesting dinner guest.

Then again, there is this:



And this:



And this!


(anyone know what that says?)

While the television comedians may be having a hard time finding something interesting to say, all the political cartoonists know that his ears protrude a little bit, and they're running with it....

[besson3c]

HAHA!! Look at those crazy ears!

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by Dork. 

I simply don't think Obama is interesting enough as a person to mock. I think Bush made a terrible President, but he would definitely make a more interesting dinner guest.

True dat. I imagine you could have an interesting--but-boringly pedantic--conversation with Obama. Unless you talked about sports; I hear he is a big sports junkie (c.f.: Meet Rick Reilly's fantasy football partner: Barack Obama - ESPN The Magazine).

[ghporter]

I've seen plenty of "TelePrompTer" oriented jibes at the pres. If he can't keep in mind what the text he's reading from is about, he probably needs fo net ik spel ing on his cue device...(remember "corpse man"?). But otherwise, he really doesn't have enough quirkiness, especially compared to W. "Nu Q lur" comes to mind immediately, as does W's off the cuff comments that typically featured him tasting shoe leather. O is simply not that quirky and thus not as interesting to lampoon.

[ebuddy]

Poking fun at Obama for supposedly quitting smoking, but not... satirical gold. He's not easy to mock, I mean how many people thank themselves for coming out to an event? How many off-prompter "umms" and "uhhs" can one utter without getting mocked? I think there's some shameless double-speak and dishonesty that could probably warrant a little mockery, but... nada.

These are the same sources of comedy that have no problem mocking someone in context of race such as Michael Steele and Clarence Thomas, etc... so I don't think it's because Obama is black, I think it's because he's liberal.

[Dork.]

I never understood why folks get on Obama's case for the teleprompters, or for the "umms" and "uhhs" when speaking off the cuff. So he speaks better and more forcefully when he is reading a speech as opposed to making it up on the spot. So what? Mocking someone over that is a lot like mocking someone over a stutter. It gets old real quick.

You do have a point with Clarence Thomas. There have been things said about him that would not have been said if he was a liberal.
But Michael Steele would be a doofus no matter which party he belonged to.

[Wiskedjak]

I completely agree that we are getting too concerned about being politically correct. Just take a look at all of the people complaining that the organizers of Park51 are being "insensitive".

[Doofy]

'Tis simple. Nobody is going to mock their own side much.

Bush was a Republican, so was mocked by Democrats.
Obama is a Democrat, so should be mocked by Republicans.

Now, we know that Democrats are mostly all lazy benefits-scroungers with nothing better to do than think up ways to mock the Prez. So, plenty of time to think up plenty of mocking.

We also know that all Republicans are mostly all hard working people who haven't got time to sit around thinking up ways of mocking the Prez because they're too busy earning money to pay their tax to keep the aforementioned benefit-scrounging Democrats in burgers. So, hardly any time means hardly any mocking.

And that's the top and tail of it.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

'Tis simple. Nobody is going to mock their own side much.

Bush was a Republican, so was mocked by Democrats.
Obama is a Democrat, so should be mocked by Republicans.

Now, we know that Democrats are mostly all lazy benefits-scroungers with nothing better to do than think up ways to mock the Prez. So, plenty of time to think up plenty of mocking.

We also know that all Republicans are mostly all hard working people who haven't got time to sit around thinking up ways of mocking the Prez because they're too busy earning money to pay their tax to keep the aforementioned benefit-scrounging Democrats in burgers. So, hardly any time means hardly any mocking.

And that's the top and tail of it.

It's actually sort of interesting, how you're becoming more of an idiot each passing year.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by ebuddy 

Poking fun at Obama for supposedly quitting smoking, but not... satirical gold. He's not easy to mock, I mean how many people thank themselves for coming out to an event? How many off-prompter "umms" and "uhhs" can one utter without getting mocked? I think there's some shameless double-speak and dishonesty that could probably warrant a little mockery, but... nada.

These are the same sources of comedy that have no problem mocking someone in context of race such as Michael Steele and Clarence Thomas, etc... so I don't think it's because Obama is black, I think it's because he's liberal.

Then how do you explain the plentiful comedic jabs at Bill Clinton?

Bush - white conservative. Mocked.
Clinton - white liberal. Mocked.
Steele - black conservative. Mocked.
Obama - black liberal. Not mocked as much.

Clearly there is another variable here other than race or political leaning.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Dork. 

I never understood why folks get on Obama's case for the teleprompters, or for the "umms" and "uhhs" when speaking off the cuff.

Because Bush's linguistic creativity was mocked endlessly, and god-dammit, people are gonna get payback now that it's a Democratic president in office.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Then how do you explain the plentiful comedic jabs at Bill Clinton?

Bush - white conservative. Mocked.
Clinton - white liberal. Mocked.
Steele - black conservative. Mocked.
Obama - black liberal. Not mocked as much.

ClearlyLet me be clear: there is another variable here other than race or political leaning.

I think the Al Gore comparison is still the best.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by ebuddy 

Poking fun at Obama for supposedly quitting smoking, but not... satirical gold. He's

I'm astounded that this appears to be serious.

Really? Quitting smoking, and then not, is "satirical gold"?

Your funny must be irreparably broken.

greg

[SpaceMonkey]

I think ebuddy was being sarcastic.

[The Final Dakar]

It is.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

It's actually sort of interesting, how you're becoming more of an idiot each passing year.

My idiocy is constant. If you didn't notice that that post was a joke, then this goes some way towards proving the OP.

It's extremely observable to an outsider that North America has, over the last several years, become a continent of boring, politically-correct, humourless pansies.

I'm putting it down to a combination of factors:

• Justin Bieber is popular (that's not a joke - it's a pointer towards everybody being a bit "zwinky").
• Political correctness is now embedded in the culture to a point where nobody dare say anything about anything for fear of offending somebody and getting a month's ban.
• The economy is tanking (which generally makes people worried and less humorous.
• The sky is falling. Terrorism to scare the righties, AGW to scare the lefties.

[smacintush]

The fact is, the overwhelming majority of people who are in media that would be making fun of people in the public eye seem to have been far more emotionally invested in Obama than they ever were Clinton, and certainly any non-liberal.

Also, they certainly don't mock Clinton like they do Buch, Reagan etc.. The worst they will do is make Clinton look like a "ladies man" who just "can't help himself". So even as they poke fun at him, it has a light-hearted positivity behind it. Contrast this with how they treat someone like Bill O'Reilly who, when he was accused of sexual harassment, was treated like a misogynistic pig.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

Also, they certainly don't mock Clinton like they do Buch, Reagan etc.. The worst they will do is make Clinton look like a "ladies man" who just "can't help himself". So even as they poke fun at him, it has a light-hearted positivity behind it. Contrast this with how they treat someone like Bill O'Reilly who, when he was accused of sexual harassment, was treated like a misogynistic pig.

I was think of when Clinton was actually in office, and was the target of a lot of fast food jokes. And a special prosecutor. Former presidents are almost universally better liked than when they were in office.

Anyway, wow, people who have generally more likable personalities get more "light-hearted" jokes about them, and angry pundits are treated like jerks? Food for thought.

[The Final Dakar]

I almost tried to discuss a few examples, but this thread reeks of bias based on political spectrum and sense of humor.
Good luck getting much consensus (or objectivity).

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I almost tried to discuss a few examples, but this thread reeks of bias based on political spectrum and sense of humor.
Good luck getting much consensus (or objectivity).

You're only saying that because you're a smelly lib-dem.

[smacintush]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

I was think of when Clinton was actually in office, and was the target of a lot of fast food jokes. And a special prosecutor. Former presidents are almost universally better liked than when they were in office.

The fast food jokes didn't really go very far as I remember it. There were plenty right after the election, but they died out.

Anyway, wow, people who have generally more likable personalities get more "light-hearted" jokes about them, and angry pundits are treated like jerks? Food for thought.

O'Reilly isn't what I would call "angry" but yeah, that is a good point, but some of the accusations against Clinton were pretty bad. Groping, exposing himself? Clinton's and Reagan's popularity ratings were very similar, if Reagan had done that what would have happened? Reagan was portrayed as anywhere from an evil war-monger to a mindless buffoon.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

O'Reilly isn't what I would call "angry"

Okay now I want what you are smoking.

some of the accusations against Clinton were pretty bad. Groping, exposing himself? Clinton's and Reagan's popularity ratings were very similar, if Reagan had done that what would have happened? Reagan was portrayed as anywhere from an evil war-monger to a mindless buffoon.

I think there is still a lot of disconnect in the thread because I don't know if we are talking about partisan slams or comedic bits. SNL is not going to run a series of sketches featuring Clinton groping women. That would be creepy and un-funny. Light-hearted jokes about his fondness for women? Sure, that's the Bubba we all know! On the other hand, there were a lot of partisan slams about Clinton's infidelity during his presidency. And I don't know what the reaction would have been if Reagan had groped women (I probably would have hurled), but that line of argument is pointless because it would have been outside of his character to do so.

If the objective of this thread is to demand equality in character attacks on presidents, it is destined to fail, because their characters, and how they play in the media, vary wildly and independently of their party affiliation.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

I think there is still a lot of disconnect in the thread because I don't know if we are talking about partisan slams or comedic bits. SNL is not going to run a series of sketches featuring Clinton groping women. That would be creepy and un-funny.

Family Guy just about went there. Clinton was always naked and with martini.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Family Guy just about went there.

Yeah. Creepy and unfunny. He already said that.

[smacintush]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Family Guy just about went there. Clinton was always naked and with martini.

Yeah and they also had Lois sleeping with him because of his awesomeness.

[The Final Dakar]

...and that means?

[Doofy]

Clark will be pissed?

[smacintush]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

...and that means?

That they aren't really going far at all. Clinton is still portrayed as a stud, even though he is a creepy, misogynistic pig.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

That they aren't really going far at all. Clinton is still portrayed as a stud, even though he is a creepy, misogynistic pig.

I think you're reading too far into it, and seem to be discounting the negative portrayals of being any value just because others are positive.

They've also made fun George W. Bush, but when Meg & Chris hang out with him he's portrayed as just a simple, honest fun-loving guy. I don't think that changes other times when they've portrayed him as simple-minded buffoon.

And just because Lois is seduced by Clinton's charisma, doesn't really change that other times they've portrayed him as an amoral sexual deviant.

Edit: Dammit, I let myself get involved

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by ebuddy 

Poking fun at Obama for supposedly quitting smoking, but not... satirical gold. He's not easy to mock, I mean how many people thank themselves for coming out to an event? How many off-prompter "umms" and "uhhs" can one utter without getting mocked? I think there's some shameless double-speak and dishonesty that could probably warrant a little mockery, but... nada.

These are the same sources of comedy that have no problem mocking someone in context of race such as Michael Steele and Clarence Thomas, etc... so I don't think it's because Obama is black, I think it's because he's liberal.

But...but...he's the president! He MUST be an excellent public speaker! Because he's the president!!!! OMG!!!!one11!!! Seriously, anyone who hasn't had training and practice in public speaking is going to suck at one part or another of the task-often more than one. W couldn't speak off the cuff without tasting socks. O can't speak off the teleprompter without a Dr. Scholl's mouthwash. But because they're in a high office, a lot of people think they must be good speakers.

It's like expecting doctors and lawyers to be "smart." Intelligent and with good memory skills? Sure! But smart implies common sense that is often lacking in such high level professions.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Is it just me, or have we all gotten a little too "politically correct" for our own good ?

I remember when Bush Jr, became president (much to my disappointment....twice), there was no shortage of jokes, puns, etc..of this middle-aged-white-male. It continues to this day. Much of it stemmed from disagreements with his policy or just making fun of the guy or his entire family. This was just a few years ago, when everyone was of the opinion that the media is controlled by the 'right', etc,etc...

And now, i have yet to see any skits/jokes about Obama ANYWHERE in pop culture. And, at the risk of sounding like a negative-nancy, his policies seem even less desirable/likable than the previous governments (IMHO).

Could it be that people are not being as critical as they SHOULD be, or the media not making fun of Obama, because he is black/African-American ? I think that's whats happening, and i think most of the people in the media are afraid to do so, lest they be labeled racists/bigots or worse. (BTW, i am not white or black)

This thread is not about the Obama Administration's policies or PR, of which i disagree with quite a bit, this is more about the tone of the media towards them and him as a personality. Would the same have been true if the President was white ? (Clinton is another example that comes to mind).

Discuss...

You should listen to The Bugle podcast...

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

'Tis simple. Nobody is going to mock their own side much.

Bush was a Republican, so was mocked by Democrats.
Obama is a Democrat, so should be mocked by Republicans.

Now, we know that Democrats are mostly all lazy benefits-scroungers with nothing better to do than think up ways to mock the Prez. So, plenty of time to think up plenty of mocking.

We also know that all Republicans are mostly all hard working people who haven't got time to sit around thinking up ways of mocking the Prez because they're too busy earning money to pay their tax to keep the aforementioned benefit-scrounging Democrats in burgers. So, hardly any time means hardly any mocking.

And that's the top and tail of it.

oops im afraid that wasn't politically correct enough shame shame on doofy