Looks like he's giving his own personalized Presidential Seal of approval! ZING!But seriously, folks, this picture, though funny, is just a case of a picture taken at just the wrong time. You can see the entire video of this "incident" here. But this once again raised a question that has been bugging me since Obama began to run for office - WHY IS EVERYONE SO AFRAID TO MAKE JOKES ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA??
I'm not a political person by any means. I've refrained from posting on this blog for some time because I am not informed about political issues. However, I do watch a lot of TV and, in particular, a lot of comedy and it's shocking to see how they avoid mocking our 44th president.
During the campaign, it was pretty obvious that the majority of "Hollywood" wanted Obama to win. Saturday Night Live (a sketch comedy show, NOT a politicial forum, might I add) made a point of slamming the McCain/Palin team each and every show while mocking the people who were against Obama. In a world where the rising generation (people like me) knows less and less about the political system, television shows like SNL really will sway their opinon. And I truly believe that this was the case with this past election. Entertainers said that John McCain was old, Sarah Palin was stupid and Barack Obama was cool - and the mindless masses blindly believed them.
Someone else noticed this as well:
There was even a study done by the LA times that gave statistics of how many jokes were made about President Bush, John McCain, Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. You can see the results here. It's not just me, comedians really were avoiding making fun of Obama!
I figured it would all blow over after the election, but I have been shocked and annoyed with how late-night comedians like David Letterman and Conan O' Brien have CONTINUED to make jokes about John McCain, Sarah Palin and even former President Bush even though they are, for the most part, out of the picture.
Now why is this the case? Why does President Obama remain practically untouched by the humor writers? Well, there are some theories out there (see here, here and here). Some say that it's because you'll be considered a racist if you make fun of him, others say that it's because the media is biased and wants to keep President Obama "cool" in the public eye. It's definitely not because the media respects the office of the President of the United States. Comedians have been making fun of presidents and presidential candidates almost as long as those positions have existed - and it's only gotten worse in the last 30 years (think Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford).
And please, please do NOT give me the excuse that you "just can't make fun of the guy."
Bull.
You're just not trying hard enough, comedians.
We deserve current comedy.
