Recently, I have made Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers part of my nightly routine. I finish my work, and then I put on the channel that runs the late night shows hosted by the two SNL veterans. And yes, they are funny. However, after the third night of this ritual, I noticed that their beginning monologues were essentially the same every single time.
It is always a Trump bit.
First off, this is just bad comedy. Night after night, the hosts jab at his hair and his intelligence. They go after the wall and how he will not get funding for it. I do get it. I am not a fan of his, either. However, after 2 years, it is getting old. The same jokes are used because they know that people are so angry that they will laugh at anything that brings Trump down more- which brings in views. There is nothing fresh or creative about these jokes.
What is concerning about this is how willing people are to participate in these jokes. These cheap remarks bring in roaring laughter- but mainly from one side. This is separating our nation even further as one side is building Trump up more and more to be the punchline of a joke. We are beginning to entirely dismiss the thoughts and ideas of the other political party as completely ridiculous. While Trump is a very extreme example, turning the opposite side into a never-ending joke is detrimental to our society. These late-night Trump jokes are setting us firmly in our current ideas rather than helping challenge them. It is preventing us from being open to compromise and it sets a dangerous precedent for the future when we do have a more traditional President.
I will admit, they can be quite funny. However, I am getting tired of all this tearing down. It really does not do any good for the nation if we are allowing ourselves to see the opposing side as a joke- especially when the jokes suck anyway.