THG Commentary: Hate the Game, Not the Player
Those that take issue with David Letterman mocking Bristol Palin need to hate the game, not the player.
Late-night talk shows exist for one reason: to make fun of those in the news.
Let's go back to 1995: One of Jay Leno's most famous skits was "The Dancing Itos." It was a comedy sketch that was based around lookalikes of those involved in the O.J. Simpson case, such as Judge Lance Ito.
Yes, Jay Leno made light of a double murder case. Not only was he never taken to task for it, audiences ate it up.
Meanwhile, just a few weeks ago, Conan O'Brien made this joke: "Sarah Palin is going to drop the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers' hockey game. Then, Palin will spend the rest of the game trying to keep the players out of her daughter's penalty box."
That is FAR more offensive than anything Letterman said, as it uses a pejorative term for "vagina" and it doesn't mention Eliot Spitzer or Alex Rodriguez, the two men that were equally at the forefront of Dave's jabs.
But did Palin utter a word about it? Of course not. O'Brien only aired at 12:30 a.m. at the time. His ratings were puny.
Here's a way to kill a few hours: go search the Internet for jokes made at the expense of Jamie Lynn Spears and Miley Cyrus over the past couple of years on late-night television.
The point is simple: talk show hosts make fun of celebrities.
Bristol Palin is a celebrity; not because her mother ran for a political office, but because her mother approved of her appearance on the cover of People.
Sorry, but the moment Bristol's face appeared on the front of the world's leading tabloid, Gov. Palin could no longer claim that her family's private world was being invaded. She has chosen a public life for herself and her children and must live with it.
This is also why Palin's claim of a double standard does not hold any merit.
In her interview with Matt Lauer, the governor said everyone respects President Obama's pleas to leave his family alone, but the same standard does not hold for her.
This is a laughable comparison.
Sasha and Malia Obama are 7 and 10 years old, respectively. Let us assure any doubters out there: if either of them gets caught with a fake ID, drives drunk or gets pregnant as a teenager, every late-night host will be overflowing with jokes.
In the meantime, they are going to school every day and looking adorable. Mock away, comedians!
Overall, it's fine for Palin to mention in an interview that she thinks Letterman made an inappropriate reference. Dave himself has not denied this.
But - like she did with her reference to Barack Obama "paling around with terrorists," like she did with her reference to Democrats wanting to "wave the white flag of surrender" in Iraq - the governor has stepped overboard.
Sarah Palin simply isn't articulate or intelligent enough to make a coherent point.
Therefore, she resorts to attention-grabbing words and implications; in this case, actually impugning David Letterman for being a pedophile or a rapist.
Letterman would be the first to say that he isn't a saint. He's a comedian that sometimes makes distasteful jokes for the sake of a laugh. Like ALL comedians do.
Question his standards sometimes, Governor Palin and supporters, but also check his record. Never, over the course of a 27-year career, has he been accused of anything resembling the charges you've drummed up.
However, days after 9/11, he delivered as heartfelt a tribute as anyone on television mustered at the tragic time.
We don't mean to exploit it, but it's stuck with us for years and it's well worth viewing. It's appalling that Sarah Palin would take a few words uttered by a clearly thoughtful, compassionate man - one that has entertained millions for decades with his brand of humor, whether she wishes to respect that or not - and turn them into such an ugly incident, all in the name of fortifying her political base.
Then again, it's also not unexpected.
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June 17th, 2009 9:27 AM
Sorry but if you can't see that Palin is a walking soap opera with not a whole lot going on upstairs, you are hopeless.
Also, Iran should not be meddled with.
June 16th, 2009 2:04 PM
"Sarah Palin simply isn't articulate or intelligent enough to make a coherent point."
Hmmm, funny she sounds incredibly articulate and intelligent here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaLPEoAoV2g&feature=related
Please note her speech has an utter lack of ummms, uhs, ahs, you knows and all the other fillers that our supposedly intelligent and articulate Harvard-educated President makes when not reading straight off the teleprompter. But then his excuse is he doesn't know how to speak Austrian and didn't get to visit that 57th State. Oh, and he's still looking for his birth certificate.
On another note, way to stand up for the Iranian people, Mr. Obama. NOT! Cowardice is his middle name.
June 16th, 2009 9:15 AM
Imus was fired even after he gave a very sincere apology, which was accepted by the women's basketball team.
This isn't about Palin. It's about society saying we're tired of this kind of talk being rationalized as "jokes".
Letterman should still be fired.
June 16th, 2009 2:12 AM
Regardless whose team you are on, you have to admit that Palin invites a lot of jokes on herself and her family when she acts like an illiterate redneck.
June 15th, 2009 11:57 PM
OK, you don't like qoutation makrs, let's try CAPS....JESSIE, what you seem to not understand is that Freedom of Speech does not mean that you can say whatever you like if you are on broadcast radio or television, even if it is a joke. The FCC applies standards that must be adhered to by broadcasters in their content.
"Freedom of speech" is an often bannered cry when defending statements made on broadcast media that has to pass FCC restrictions. The reality of our legal, regulatory, and legislative system provides certain community standards for these restrictions. Whether a joke or not, descibing a joking atmosphere where in a 14 year old is depicted in a sexual encounter and laugh about by the said comedian under broadcast conditions will be scrutinized by the community as it is now. Do some research on FCC regulations involving obcenity, indecent, and profane broadcast regulations. You may quit your outrage that it was just a joke, or at least accept that the envelope may have b
June 15th, 2009 9:22 PM
I do need to point out that this article is severely flawed not only by the writer's lack of understanding about politics, but for it's intentional bias as well:
"Sarah Palin simply isn't articulate or intelligent enough to make a coherent point." Then explain to me why there will be a mass gathering of people at the Ed Sullivan Theatre tomorrow night to protest David Letterman.
You libs don't get it yet do you. The world is on to you now. You know why? That "inarticulate" lady went on Lauer Friday and EVERYONE understood EXACTLY what she was saying. Inarticulate, bllllslllt!
June 15th, 2009 8:34 PM
Honestly, "Fanatical Radical" he said it and its not going to change...you have your opinion just like everyone else on this page and just like you David Letterman has freedom of speech...I highly doubt that he'll get fired over it...WHY??? Because it was a JOKE!!! People are so quick to judge what others say and do but don't realize that they are human just like Letterman..in a few days or weeks everything will be back to normal because most people know that Letterman is a comedian and whoever doesn't like what he says shouldn't watch his show....I'm sure he'll do fine..
And btw...you don't have to put my name in quotes because that is my name..
June 15th, 2009 8:29 PM
Comedians are in business for one reason: to get laughs. I see the points being made of the dancing Itos, other celebrities who have been mocked and other comedians who have mocked Sarah Palin and her family not getting the grief that David Letterman is getting. But there is a serious political dynamic at play here that has elevated the joke making beyond the level of just good fun. There is a real agenda to use the mocking of Sarah Palin to destroy her.
David Letterman getting laughs at Sarah Palin's expense is not about getting laughs. It's about eliminating her voice. In a free country, it's very dangerous when the media and pop culture align themselves to silence a voice.
This is not about what David Letterman said just for the sake of being outraged by it as an isolated set of jokes that are in bad taste. This is a boiling kettle that has been brewing since the Democrat party sent lawyers and David Axelrod bloggers after Sarah Palin when she was first nominated for VP in an
June 15th, 2009 7:41 PM
Clearly, Letterman screwed up. He crossed the line. But he also acknowledged his mistake and apologized for it. What else does Palin want?
Letterman may have gone too far in targeting Palin's daughter, yet the fact remains that political figures have to be willing to accept the brunt of jokes, etc.
I'm not condoning inappropriate comments about minors, but I am saying that Palin needs to recognize that its a two-way street. If she wants other comedians to refrain from making further comments about her life and her children, then perhaps she should keep her daughter off the cover of People as well.
June 15th, 2009 5:11 PM
Letterman's pitiful words and the hate from those who condone them are undefendable. Have you sunk so low that you can only feel worthwhile when trying to drag someone else down to your level? Is there no one of you with the courage to say this is wrong? The more you talk, the less you become.