Monty Python and the Oval Office: It Might be Funny If It Wasn't So Serious

Trump39s monologues aren39t funny because of their by now shopworn selfpromotion or his Don Rickles39 insultaminute delivery when reporters get under his skin Rather the routinely lieladen performances follow the Monty Python model transforming press conferences into a loony quotSpamalotquot stage Indeed odds are after nearly four years if Trump announced that Homeland Security SWAT teams had just neutralized the Killer Rabbit or Space Command shot down an attack of flying cows most journalists likely would nod and keep taking notesAlthough Trump isn39t trying to be funny one theory of comedy fits him to a tee It asserts humor is the unexpected juxtaposition of opposites For example a guy in white tie and tails sitting at a banquet suddenly takes a pie in the face The stunt gets a laughamp8212or a groan It39s the effect Trump is achieving From touting success with the pandemic as infections skyrocket to bragging about an economy with cratering growth for most people the constant contrast between reality and the ridiculous isn39t a sidesplitter but it39s a joke nonethelessIf Trump only was spending his time working to oneup quotMonty Python and the Holy Grailquot his daily buffoonery would be ludicrous but not lethal Sadly that39s not the case Borrowing from Groucho Marx who recycled quotWho39s buried in Grant39s tombquot as one of his TV quiz show questions for years Trump last week again touted hydroxychloroquine the COVID19 treatment rejected by medical experts Trump cited no less an authority than a physician who warns women their gynecological problems come from having sex with demons in their sleepHad Trump done his hydroxychloroquine huckstering as a Shopping Channel showman the network would have pulled the plug before the first phone order rang As president however he can blather away amp8212prescriptions for the disproven drug surged 46fold when he touted it in Aprilamp8212without regulators or networks batting an eye Add outright prevarication such as his retweeted accusation that Dr Anthony Fauci is conspiring to boost COVID19 deaths the human cost from misleading Americans to jeopardize their health is where humor disappearsTo be sure in making bogus drug claims while retweeting wacky accusations about Fauci as his political enemy Trump isn39t breaking new ground The unbalanced and unscrupulous have exploited Americans39 gullibility for generations From Father Coughlin the demagogic priest famous for his antiSemitic radio rants in the 1930s to QAnon whose bizarre Deep State claims appeal to Trump39s son and campaign staff today there39s always an audience ready to believe plots are afoot That39s what transforms Trump39s statements as the President from comedy however ludicrous into criminal negligence as the country struggles with COVID19Take belief in conspiracies According to a Pew Research Center survey in June most Americansamp821271 percentamp8212are aware of an online conspiracy theory alleging powerful people such as Bill Gates planned the coronavirus outbreak Twentyfive percent believe there is some truth in the tale Pew39s data shows their education helps explain why Half of Americans with a high school diploma or lessamp821248 percentamp8212say the idea is probably or definitely true that compares to 24 percent with a bachelor39s and 15 percent with postgraduate degreesLike schooling political affiliations also sort the believers and skeptics according to Pew The June survey shows that 34 percent of Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP say powerful people planned the pandemic That compares to only 18 percent of Democrats and their independent sympathizers Among Republicans ideology also influences the credulous 40 percent who style themselves quotconservativesquot view the alleged plot as likely or definitely trueHow many Americans smitten by Trump39s drug endorsements and retweeted conspiracies will ignore their doctor39s guidance or blame the Deep State for the pandemic rather than paying attention to public health professionals is anybody39s guess A study soon to be published by researchers in Ireland on the effects of fake news found that hearing about bogus COVID19 quotcuresquot isn39t necessarily going to influence what people do That39s encouraging But the authors also made clear that twothirds of the study39s subjects had at least bachelor39s degrees and that presidents spouting falsehoods didn39t figure in their researchThere39s another possibility that could explain Trump39s prime time press conference disinformation and reckless retweets of lunacies from the radical fringe Consider the latest ungrounded attacks on the analysis and recommendations of the country39s leading epidemiologist from a President without any medical credentials to dispute public health experts Occam39s razor just might apply the simplest explanation is most likely correct Unable to come to grips with reality Trump actually believes what he saysIn any event when it comes to their health Americans have a choice Listen to Fauci be mindful of the growing pandemic and do their part wear masks wash hands and keep their distance Or pay attention to Trump take two Lysol capsules and call him in the morningPhoto courtesy of Kent HarringtonClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Monty Python and the Oval Office: It Might be Funny If It Wasn't So Serious

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Kent M. Harrington

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