Written by Tyler Anderson, Opinion Editor
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was initially conceived in 1921 as a ceremony honoring the press and their dedication to their craft. After a few decades, it became tradition to honor college journalists with scholarships and other accolades. The dinner now functions as a presidential roast with a featured comedian doling out just desserts.
This year’s event was headlined by Michelle Wolf, a previous contributor to “The Daily Show.” Not only did Wolf draw the ire of President Donald Trump (who didn’t attend for the second year in a row), but half the nation is now demanding an apology for jokes deemed insensitive. The situation has gotten entirely out of hand and, in response, I have one thing to say: get over it.
When I first heard about Wolf’s “callous” jokes concerning Press Secretary Sarah Sanders’ appearance, I was a bit riled up. “Haven’t we moved beyond primary-school insults?” I wondered. Now, having dug a bit deeper, I realize this fiasco was ignited by a simple, yet brilliant joke about eyeshadow.
Had Wolf’s behavior been as disgraceful as reported, I might have sympathized with the allegedly injured parties. As it turns out, half the nation must have worn earplugs to the Correspondents’ Dinner, ad-libbed the whole schtick, then ran to their Twitter accounts to announce their outrage.
If you haven’t read Wolf’s particular joke verbatim, go and do it now. Then ask yourself this: why is everyone so mad?
I, for one, have not a single, solitary clue as to how a jab at Sanders’ pattern of fibbing for the sake of Trump’s ego was an attack on her physical appearance. Wolf simply stated facts: Sanders, and the whole of the president’s cabinet (aka personal relations team), have an aversion to truth.
Perhaps everyone expected the jester to show up to the royal court and not earn her fill. Maybe the White House staff thought they’d hired a juggler and were too embarrassed to turn Wolf away when she arrived on their doorstep in full battle regalia, ready for a fight. Or is it possible that the news media, having surrendered their champion and begun begging on their knees, has developed a thin skin?
To most, I’m considered a millennial, a typical liberal and, at my worst, a snowflake. But suddenly the tables have turned and the liberal snowflakes, guardians of decency, have turned their might on their own.
I consider it a failure of these journalists to have crucified one of the few people confident enough to point her finger square in the face of the judge and jury, all for their sake. This particular judge has been hurling insults indiscriminately since before being elected; why have we stopped holding him accountable for his vile tongue instead of burning the jester at the stake?
Perhaps this is the ugly side of the social justice movement that right-wing conspiracists have warned us about. The more probable cause, however, is that the news media caught a severe case of the wussies and deserted a valuable comrade to face the firing squad all on her own.
