Preaching to the Converted
Jim Gaffigan may be the most important comedian of our time. Let me explain. In this time of misinformation or outright lies being broadcast twenty-four hours a day by media outlets covering all areas of the political spectrum, there needs to be a voice that appeals to a varied audience. Depending on your beliefs, viewers can find a channel to confirm all of their prejudices and deep-seated beliefs, never challenging or confronting them with opposite opinions or even bringing to light facts that may not coalesce with their viewer’s world-view. The never-ending news cycle is a horrible thing, giving media the ability to push any outlandish idea or sell any ideology to an impressionable audience.
If I had to place myself on the political spectrum, it would be on the progressive side of the Democratic party. I favor any politician who is trying to fight for the rights of the American people while, most importantly, not relying on funding from corporations or lobbyists. Because of this, I am not a huge fan of Republicans or most Democrats. I vote blue on the national level, although the candidates are usually not blue enough for me, most of the Democrats being more on the purple side lately. As a consequence, when I wanted to hear some lighthearted commentary on the shenanigans surrounding the last election, I would tend to listen to left-leaning commentators and comedians. One night while watching Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, or clips from the Daily Show it occurred to me that not only are most of these monologues lame, they are not designed to change minds, they are only telling people what they want to hear. These comedians only reinforce what their detractors believe about them - that they are over-educated, smarmy, soap-boxers, who consider anyone who does not subscribe to their beliefs as dumb, racist, or ignorant. In fact, I saw a couple of old clips of Jon Stewart from the Daily Show recently and although I would probably agree with him on most subjects, his smug delivery had me sort of hating him. This is not the way to reach the people you need to reach. This is merely self-congratulatory rhetoric from entertainers.
This brings me back to Jim Gaffigan. For those not familiar with his humor, it can be described as gentle, non-offensive, observational/story-based stand-up. I haven’t heard all of his acts or seen many of his shows on Netflix, but I think he is really funny. Through his humor, he shows that he is a rational human being with realistic views of science, politics, and other social issues. The most important aspect of his career is that he appeals to a wide demographic. As a result, he is in a unique position to enlighten or inform his audience about these subjects in a funny and relatable way. Sometimes in his off-stage life, he will show his true colors with tweets, etc. Even knowing where he stands politically, he can still attract a diverse audience, although he rarely talks about hot-button topics on stage. He focuses on the funny things that make us human, our shared experience, and shows that for all of our differences, we all still have a lot in common…and that science is real, politicians are shady, and that it’s okay to laugh at ourselves. He also has a lot of jokes about junk food and being fat…like, too many.
