Politics Keeps Hi-Jacking My Career as a Humor Writer

I’ve been called funny. Not just funny-looking, but actually laugh-out-loud, spit out your coffee funny. In 2018 I decided to test that with some funny stories on Medium. I think I wrote two, before the Kavanaugh nomination and the end of life as we know it.

Technically, that life ended in 2016. It was shocking and bad, but at least we had the Orange Crush to make fun of for four years. Plenty of humor fodder. That’s how we saw him then.

Now we still point and laugh, but while shaking in our boots. He’s a scary guy, in a “Springtime With Hitler in Germany” musical kinda way.

So, yeah. I’m going to stop making fun of him. He’s got a hard on for disappearing or silencing comedians.

Not that I’m in the same league as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. Plus, I presume people who read me aren’t MAGAs who would turn me in.

But who knows these days? And how did we even get to a place and time where ordinary people, and comedians/humorists are TURNED IN. TO THE GOVERNMENT.

That’s some fascist level shit.

I’m no longer finding fascist level shit funny. Nor even mildly amusing.

I do read all the great satirists making fun of the T guy and his cronies. I adore satire. Granted, it’s harder and harder to tell satire from real world shenanigans these days. I’ll link below one that fooled me halfway through the reading. Good work, satirists!

That’s why my content recently has been starkly serious. Although I do manage to throw in some stingers. I can’t seem to help myself.

And how did we even get to a place and time where ordinary people, and comedians/humorists are TURNED IN. TO THE GOVERNMENT.

I live my life in humor, laughing at myself most of all. Check out my recent story about my vanity and the Motor Vehicle Department, also posted below.

If I can’t make fun of myself, who will? My son the comedian and YouTube star Moonlair360, of course, but he’s earned the right. He and I learned to laugh early and often. I take some credit for his comedic talents. I certainly gave him lots of fodder.

My son, Blake Scott, giving me his usual side-eye,”What are you saying Mom? Stop.” photo from author’s collection.

He’s smarter than I am. He doesn’t mock politics or politicians. He knows there’s plenty of funny to harvest there, but also that the rest of humanity offers even more.

I’m truly sad about leaving political humor behind. I aspired to be the next Molly Ivins. If you don’t know who she was, you aren’t a Texan. If you haven’t read her, I wonder if you even enjoy caustic, witty, political humor. I wrote a story wondering what she and former Texas governor Ann Richards, a comedian in her own right, would say about our politicians today. They wouldn’t be kind. It’s posted below.

I will continue to write humor about myself, my son, situations I get myself into, and funny ideas I get from life and work in general. They are legion.

For now, though, and likely through the midterms, my writing about politics and politicians will probably only be serious. There’s too much at stake, and “news” and information is so scattered, that each of us writers needs to do our part spreading actual information and tactics to resist.

I’m so proud of everyone who canceled Disney during the kerfuffle over Kimmel’s “indefinite suspension”, causing that suspension to only last three days. So fast, I didn’t have time to cancel and resubscribe. That’s resistance at work, and demonstrates that boycotts really do bring change. Hit them in the pocketbooks. Every time. .

Now, I’ll be off to write some humor. Then something serious. You do the same if that’s your thing. And keep on keeping on resisting.

We need all the comedians and all the humor we can get.

—

This post was previously published on New Choices.

***