Think about what you have heard recently on Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’ Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel about Sarah Palin. Mainstream comedians attack her incessantly. Notice that their jokes are not usually about her positions, but rather they are personal – meant to make a laughingstock out of her. These comedians are molding a public opinion of Palin that insists she is stupid, ignorant, unsophisticated, and dangerous.
Try to recall a comparable barrage of spiteful jokes at the expense of other vice-presidential candidates like Joe Lieberman or Joe Biden – it’s not as easy.
It wasn’t always this way. Comedians of old, such as Bob Hope, made fun of politicians, but he included both sides. Dick Van Dyke also stayed light-hearted.
It’s become normal for conservatives to be portrayed poorly: On “Boston Legal” the main character, Denny Crane, was a composite of just about every negative stereotype of a conservative: he sexually harassed women, carried a gun, and was oblivious to his ignorance. Alec Baldwin’s conservative character on “30 Rock” has similar undesirable qualities.
Furthermore, Hollywood has taken to developing and lauding bad characters with “good” qualities, like the meth-dealing father on “Breaking Bad,” the likable mob boss on the “Sopranos,” or the pot-selling mother on “Weeds.” That is essentially an open attack on the conservative belief that there is right and wrong, because it promotes relativism.
