Each year, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) hosts a gala for celebrities, journalists, and White House administrators in order to raise funds for journalism scholarships and grants. This event is known, oddly, for its comedy routine. It usually starts with the president himself delivering a comedy monologue, light-heartedly poking fun at himself and the press and is followed by a prominent comedian. Despite the absence of President Donald Trump P’00, the WHCA continued with the comedy routine this year and chose Michelle Wolf for the role. After her routine, Ms. Wolf was criticized more harshly than entertainers in previous years, with some even calling for the end of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
This backlash was brought about by today’s tense political atmosphere and the public’s strained relationship with the press. In her monologue, Ms. Wolf did not hold back, making jokes centered on hard-hitting topics such as immigration and the Roy Moore scandal. She ended simply with, “Flint still doesn’t have clean water.”
In today’s political climate, comedy is more important than ever. Political comedy seems to have reached a new peak –– late-night talk shows have almost become as much of a reliable source of news as news outlets themselves. People are turning to comedy in an attempt to help them understand what is going on in the world today.
One of my teachers says that comedy doesn’t disprove stereotypes––it reinforces what is already there. That is exactly what Ms. Wolf did. She joked about our current situation in an attempt to point out how ridiculous it is. If her jokes were inappropriate, it was because we are in a situation that is equally as inappropriate. While her language may have been crude at times, it may have been the most effective way for her to deliver her message. In a political climate where the president faces minimal repercussions for his decisions, it is ironic that Ms. Wolf faced such strong criticism in the wake of her performance. While Mr. Trump abuses his power, Ms. Wolf used her platform to raise awareness about political issues.
In addition, much of Ms. Wolf’s castigation was based on the fact that her jokes made individuals uncomfortable. For example, with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sitting a few feet away from her, Ms. Wolf delivered scathing remarks about Ms. Huckabee Sanders’s waning credibility. Ms. Wolf also poked fun at NBC and Megyn Kelly for their lack of gender equality, which made some in the audience uncomfortable. However, this was something we needed. Perhaps her jokes could serve as a wakeup call for Ms. Huckabee Sanders, and Ms. Kelly.
Ms. Wolf was simply doing her job. She was hired to go up and tell jokes, and that’s what she did. People like her are not the problem. The problem is those that put us in this situation in the first place.
