Recommended for you

Start writing a post

Arts Entertainment

The War On Laughter

Donald Trump is attacking Saturday Night Live for. . . making fun of him?

Sasha_Dav

Dec 28, 2018

University of Southern California

Photo by John Cameron

In a tweet on December 16, Donald Trump questioned the legality of Saturday Night Live's previous episode opener. The show featured a spin on It's a Wonderful Life and pondered what life would be like had Trump not won the presidency. They theorized Melania successfully divorcing Donald, Pence becoming a DJ, and other wild and fun commentaries aimed at current political affairs. Following the episode, Trump angrily accused the show of belittling and defaming him. He went so far as to ask the courts to review the program and determine, presumably, if they could actually do that. As per usual, questions abound regarding his response.

Why didn't he say something when they first started mocking him around the conclusion of his campaign? Surely there were plenty of discrediting and ugly attacks on him, but that's exactly what SNL is lauded for throughout its forty year run. The point of the show is to evoke laughter by offering witty commentary on the socio-political state of our nation through the lens of comedy. Ever since Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd portrayed presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter respectively, SNL has been known to ridicule current presidents and include them into their sketches. Throughout the years, SNL has featured skits involving Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George H. W. Bush.

In fact, Bush Sr. appeared in some sketches alongside actor Dana Carvey and laughed at himself with the show. George Bush was a fan of the sketches aimed at his speech habits and behavioral ticks, and James Andrew Miller, author of Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, writes about how "Bush would laugh at it, so I don't think that was mean in any way." Obama is also cited as being able to laugh at the sketches about him, so a follow-up question certainly arises. Why can't Trump do the same? As far as I can tell, no other president has been this publicly and aggressively concerned about his presidential image, one that he arguably never helps due to his childish Twitter personality. With that said, I can't exactly be too surprised he tweeted his opposition to the show, highlighting his fragile mentality and unstable public image that surely can't be healthy to maintain as a president.

25 Thoughts Everyone Has When Registering For Classes

May the odds be ever in your favor.

University of Nebraska Omaha

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Creating your schedule for the upcoming semester can be an exciting process. You have the control to decide if you want to have class two-days a week or five-days a week. You get to check things off of your requirement checklist. It's an opportunity for a fresh start with new classes (which you tell yourself you'll never skip.) This process, which always starts out so optimistic, can get frustrating really quickly. Here are 25 thoughts you have when registering for classes.

Keep Reading...Show less

class registration

Student Life

10 Thoughts Of A 5th Year Senior

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

University of Kentucky

598

pointsincase.com

"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.

Keep Reading...Show less

senior year

Entertainment

17 Times "Friends" Accurately Described Life

You can't say that no one told you life was gonna be this way.

Western New England University

In the 12 years since it went off the air, "Friends" continues to be adored by millions. The show that gave generations unrealistic expectations about love (or should I say lobsters?) and New York City apartments had a charming cast of characters that everyone could relate to at some point or another. Here are 17 times Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Phoebe and Rachel accurately described life.

Keep Reading...Show less

friends

Entertainment

11 Times Aubrey Plaza Described Sophomore Year

"I don't want to do things. I want to do not things."

Denison University

386

Flickr Creative Commons

Aubrey Plaza is one of my favorite humans in Hollywood. She's honest, blunt, unapologetic, and hilarious. I just started my sophomore year of college, and found that some of her best moments can accurately describe the start of the school year.