I found this article today from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/us/politics/15humor.html?em&ex=1216267200&en=eb5806c4fae3982b&ei=5087%0A.
I found it hilarious as it quoted from some of my favorite talk show hosts, but also interesting in a social context. Growing up in the Bush era, our president has been the butt of many, many, many jokes in popular culture and has been a figure that few have come to respect in this sense. As this article mentions, however, Obama is a figure that the mainstream pop culture has not been able to poke fun at (or is it just that they are so under his spell they have no desire to?). Not only do talk show hosts and pundits not have a particular characteristic or trait of Obama's to harp on, if they do find something to make fun, they'll likely be faced with the sound of crickets as audiences will show resistance to Obama-based humor. Will this lack of satire of Obama be a temporary situation until he makes a misstep or reveals an imperfect side to him? Or is Obama's spell over America and their talk show hosts going to take him into his inevitable presidential term(s)? And if the latter is the case, will his time as president redefine the sense of respect pop culture and comedians pay to the person in the oval office? I know that on a personal level this election has so far heightened my interest and respect for national politics that 8 years with Dubya had worn down significantly. As I'm sure anyone who knows the slightest bit about politics would know, this election seems to have brought many thought-provoking questions to the attention of mainstream America and I believe that in the end, we will be redefined as a nation no matter who is in the Oval Office January of 2009. (But God help me, it better be Obama)
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