“We must blame them and cause a fuss
before somebody thinks of blaming us!”
Although I am not a huge South Park fan, I enjoy satirical humor that pokes fun at perceived American stereotypes. This might be why I wrote a paper in college that questioned the impact of movies like “Team America”...The question in my paper asked: Does playful mockery of the left/right pop and political culture in the U.S. perpetuate negative stereotypes or does it help encourage dialogue about uncomfortable and touchy subjects? This interest I have might also explain why I so thoroughly enjoy watching Jon Stewart, who is my steady source of news and current events. I know I am not alone in this mixed world that blends news, education, and entertainment into a blanket of irony, but I don’t know if it’s the right place for our generation to go. I know other kids my age feel like watching Saturday Day Night Live or Jon Stewart, or reading the Seattle Stranger, is not only more entertaining and easy but maybe even more educating and less biased then questioning statistics we see on Fox News or listening to CNN shred apart the incongruous pledges of the Right. I have a lot of questions for you parents, oh yes I do…. first, in your opinion how has news changed for better or worse, in the last 10, 20, 30 years? To follow-up this question which ultimately compares traditional news broadcasters to Comedy Central-type media, are we living in a ‘naïve’ world if we’d rather laugh and stay lighthearted, than question and get involved with pressing/depressing issues that we may or may not have any control over….? If so, could this be a human reaction to protecting our desire to enjoy life, or is it a defect of our news network? I fear that people will continue to reach for Comedy Central, while loosing faith in the validity of our ‘real’ news, and subsequently loosing an overall interest in being educated about the world, the nation, the community, etc.
Part of me wants to embrace stereotypes, to indulge in them, to acknowledge them and laugh at how silly we as a nation, as humans, as Islanders, as Portlanders, (and whatever sub-category fits you) can be. Part of me loves the humor of the Irish, the English, and Canadians specifically because they have an unexplainable and eloquent ability to blend politics with humor, on a basic level of interacting. It feels healthy, refreshing, and necessary. Yet aren’t we, Americans, taught, and maybe this is where I am wrong, that politics and humor shouldn’t coincide, that a sarcastic comment or casting a stereotype is not “politically-correct”, that it is either dangerous to bring up depending on your company, or considered racist, or un-educated? Is our sensitivity as a nation beneficial, or do people feel like they’re walking on eggshells when they shouldn’t be? With the grace of balance, I obviously think there is a healthy bridge between not taking things too seriously and not caring. I am confused about how the rest of the nation is dealing, or not dealing with the fact that we either get chastised for laughing at our human mistakes or dishonesty and deception are perpetuated for fear of falling outside of one’s accepted circle. I enjoy reading your travel observations Mom and Dad; it makes me think. Maybe it is because I am your daughter, but I, like you, have enjoyed the energy and friendship of many Canadians, and it makes me smile to hear words that parallel my experience.
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