If you call millennials soft and then get offended by a comedy show, I am just going to assume you are the type of person that has a bunch of crumbs in their bed.
Snowflake, a term used by conservatives to describe the over-sensitive and emotionally driven millennials they look down upon the same way Tony the Tiger looks down upon Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh.” I find right-wingers’ criticism of the delicacy of young liberals’ feelings quite ironic, considering all that needs to trigger their outrage is a comedy sketch on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL).
Right-wing media attempts to discredit the voice of millennials by calling them childish, and then cries about Alec Baldwin wearing a wig, bronzing his skin and pursing his lips; a resemblance that is, by the way, uncanny.
What do conservatives mean when they say snowflake anyway? I realize the 18-to-25 year old demographic that exists in America today is surely not full of many Harry Callahans, and if you do not get that reference you prove my point. But when I hear conservatives scorning young people for whining about something, like gun violence or justice for sexual assault victims, it really seems like the word snowflake is used to describe anyone who is empathetic.
That does not mean millennials do not overreact to nonharmful things, especially jokes, but it does make conservatives returning the favor that much more hypocritical.
“SNL” has always been a leader of political satire and has poked fun at every president since its opening in 1975. First, it was Chevy Chase impersonating the klutzy Gerald Ford and has since featured Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton, Will Ferrell as George “Dubya” Bush and Jay Pharoah as Barack Obama. Now, its Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump and the only thing new about the presidential impression is the response from the butt of the joke.
President Trump has been as outspoken against “SNL” as fire marshals are of crowded frat parties. The president has tweeted about the sketch comedy show multiple times, calling it “unwatchable” and the Baldwin impersonation “terrible” and, of course, “Sad,” though you probably already knew that last one was coming.
Ford responded to Chase’s slapstick comedy by smiling and laughing, even making fun of himself at times. Trump has too much pride to do that I guess. After all, the president does have a lot to be proud of, like his son Donald Trump Jr., who may get him impeached, Eric Trump, who is shaped like a coke bottle, and his daughter Ivanka Trump, whom Trump has expressed, special feelings for.
I do not believe this wave of over sensitivity has anything to do with generation, it is our culture. The digital age has made access to criticism immediate and with the ability to respond to critiques at your fingertips, the reply will often be driven by irrational emotion.
This era has been referred to as a war on comedy and saying that the bullets are being fired from only one side is just plain wrong. As an obsessed comedy fan, I can tell you comedians are not going to stop exploring controversial topics, so try to relax and find some humor in a subject that threatens you for once. It is actually quite liberating.
This satirical piece is written by Brian Rooney, a comedy writer for The Montclarion.
