The Problem With Samantha Bee
By turning Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein into a nonperson, comedian Samantha Bee encourages her audience to choose only from the mainstream parties, Democratic and Republican.
Samantha Bee, host of news-comedy program “Full Frontal.” (Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)
Longtime Truthdig contributor Scott Tucker sent to Truthdig staff the following reaction to a clip (below) of Samantha Bee’s TBS show, “Full Frontal.”
Sometimes Truthdig posts clips from the TV comedians who comment on U.S. politics. I laugh at some of their jokes, but I am ambivalent about all of them.
Samantha Bee has been among the worst, as confirmed by last night’s opening segment on “Full Frontal.” She is free to trash Trump and campaign for Hillary Clinton — her only criticism of Clinton is her boring brand — but she at least gave Gary Johnson the courtesy of a picture ID and a name. For Jill Stein, all that was given was a blank white silhouette and a garbled name. In short, a righteous dismissal and the usual claim that those who actually practice democracy are spoilers — meaning in this case that Clinton is entitled to the votes that will go to Stein.
By turning Stein into a nonperson, Samantha Bee encourages her audience to choose only from the full market value of the Democrats or the Republicans. Branding with a smile.
I think that’s worth some kind of notice on Truthdig. I don’t want to overestimate the significance of these comedians, I only want to suggest that scattershot satire can serve career politicians well but democracy poorly.
If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
In their eagerness to nominate anyone but Bernie Sanders, Democrats are falling into the same trap as Republicans did in 2016.
The impeachment defense team reserves bulk of its case for Monday, focusing just two hours on what they call "politically motivated" effort.
For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three sets of results from the party's presidential caucuses.
When he won, many American liberals said Democrats needed their own version of the French leader. They should be careful what they wish for.
It begins a marathon two-day session to consider the historic charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress against President Trump.
However, a letter to the House from the former security adviser’s attorney states he would appear only under court order.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.