"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Saturday, March 23, 2019

News Satire Roundup: March 17th-March 21st


Sunday, March 17 – Naturally, we opened on the shootings in Christchurch (and the despicable Australian MP trying to claim Muslims were at fault in the ultimate victim-blaming.)  Next was the latest on Brexit, with BBC reporters at a loss (you know it’s bad when they says it’s “quite a lot worse than a bit of a mess”) and Leave supporters in Parliament categorizing their options as a choice between “turds.”  Interesting topic for the main story, which was on public shaming.  The piece had some nuance, pointing out the good sides of it (like getting corporations to change shady practices) as well as the bad (like a person’s reputation being irrevocably tarnished by something the public at large doesn’t fully understand.)  I appreciated that John brought up the show’s involvement in that and the questions they ask themselves about who they should mock and how, and the extended interview at the end, with Monica Lewinsky, was really excellent.


Sunday, March 17 – After an opening montage of Hasan’s parents and a bunch of aunties and uncles warning him not to do it, he waded into India’s elections.  It was super-informative for me; I didn’t know a lot of the basics about just how complicated an election is in such a massively-populous country, and I learned quite a bit about the major parties involved.  It seems dangerous nationalist sentiments are on the rise pretty much everywhere, and it was insane to hear one politician discuss the many crimes and scandals involved, saying it’s often a question of voting for those with the least-credible murder charges against them (what?!)  Through it all, I liked Hasan’s recurring jokes about how unreliable his information was, given that he’s obviously a spy for Pakistan/Qatar/Iran – I also liked what he said about the weird dichotomy of being an Indian Muslim, “something people love mixed with something people hate.”


Monday, March 18 – First was Trump’s weekend Twitter rants, including raging against an SNL rerun (and late night TV colluding with Russia??)  We also had Apple’s announced streaming service and J.K. Rowling’s comments on Dumbledore’s sexual history (“No – leave the Sorting Hat on!”)  Some 2020 stuff:  Joe Biden almost announcing his run, Bernie Sanders falling in the shower – I loved the observation that Bernie’s injury showed his “tenacity” while Hilary Clinton fainting showed her “frailty” – and Beto O’Rourke apologizing for various slip-ups.  Ronny’s brand of outrage worked well for a piece on the climate march.  I laughed at his response to oil companies claiming there are barely any oil spills:  “Somewhere, there’s a seagull going, ‘What’s that?  I can’t hear you ‘cause my ears are full of oil!!’”  The guest, presidential candidate Jay Inslee, also talked climate change, which is Issue #1 on his platform.

Tuesday, March 19 – Opening blurbs on Devin Nunes accidentally drawing attention to the parody Twitter accounts he’s suing, Robert Kraft’s ludicrous punishment (including a class on prostitution?), and a million-dollar racing pigeon (Trevor’s tangent on the “fortune” congregating on his balcony every morning was fun.)  Strong story on FAA regulations, following the Boeing 737 Max 8 crash.  It’s staggering that they use safety data gathered by airplane manufacturers instead of their own.  Neil Brennan had a neat piece on the rise of socialism, arguing that the ultrarich are more responsible for it than the likes of Bernie Sanders.  Great impression of Jeff Bezos the “spoiled prince” making cities vye for Amazon’s new headquarters:  “Entertain me, Pittsburgh.”  Producer Will Packer was the guest.  He talked about “Black movies” gaining mainstream appeal and his new documentary on the Atlanta child murders.

Wednesday, March 20 – 100,000 people trampling poppies in pursuit of selfies is a perfect metaphor for humanity’s relationship with nature.  We also covered MLB player Mark Trout’s new contract (“He gets $10,000 every time he scratches his crotch!”) and Mexicans stealing concertina wire from the wall, ending in the delightful joke, “I put this wall around my house, and Trump paid for it!”  The big story was Trump’s ongoing “beefs” with the late John McCain and Kellyanne Conway’s husband.  I loved the bit about how considerate it is that many of Trump’s lies are so easy to disprove.  Desi’s latest women’s history piece looked at things guys love that women invented.  I had no idea that a woman created kung fu, to deal with street harassers, no less!  I thought the guest, Rep. Will Hurd, had some good things to say about immigration, as someone who represents a border district.

Thursday, March 21 – Great comparison of New Zealand’s gun laws, “delivered by Amazon,” and America’s, by “a turtle who died in 1783.”  Fun bit on Joe Biden floating candidacy/running-mate ideas as “hypotheticals,” and I loved the blurb on a car chase that ended in a break dance; the bit about everyone in L.A. always being ready to “audition” was funny, and like Trevor, I instantly knew that the guy wasn’t Black.  Interesting piece on reparations.  I liked Trevor’s observation about legislators’ obsession with timing:  “the window has closed” on reparations, “it’s too soon” for gun reform, “we can deal with that later” re:  climate change.  Roy and Ronny talked March Madness, including the exploding shoe incident.  The guest was Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood.  She discussed how Planned Parenthood didn’t make healthcare political, they’re only responding to the politicizing on the other side.

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