Next month marks the two-year anniversary of the death of America’s funniest writer‚ P.J. O’Rourke. The world of journalism is a little grayer and a lot duller since then. It’s like being on a laughter diet. He knew better than everyone that any political contest needs to be approached from just the right distance: close enough to understand the issue; far enough away to be able to disengage and laugh at it.  READ MORE from Itxu Díaz: Biden Lashes Out at the Half of the Country That Refuses to Vote for Him O’Rourke was not just a humorist. He wasn’t just an insightful columnist‚ either. His writing was a perfect cocktail of intellectual intensity and a smile‚ and that made the conservative ideas he carried like a flag reach unexpected places and audiences‚ explaining the issues in a way anyone could understand; he did more for the spread of economic libertarianism in the six paragraphs of an article than did thousands of books by prestigious economic experts. This is not to the detriment of the experts but to O’Rourke’s credit. The man from Toledo approached all issues in the same way: He took his distance in order to understand people before systems. Thus‚ he understood the economy from the taxpayers’ pockets‚ foreign policy from the direct testimony of the enemy‚ the immorality of certain politicians from the most personal matters of each one‚ because he knew that often the crotch is more telling than 1‚000 speeches.  After all‚ everything that concerns us is about people‚ including politics‚ economics‚ and freedom; ideas‚ associations‚ and parties are not free. Free is each and every person and nothing else. And as a good connoisseur of the human soul‚ he was very clear about the Left’s main mistake: “Neither conservatives nor humorists believe man is good. But left-wingers do.” He was so immensely talented that he was able to defeat all environmentalism in a single sentence: “Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.” To politicians: “People who are wise‚ good‚ smart‚ skillful‚ or hardworking don’t need politics; they have jobs.” To the government: “A little government and a little luck are necessary in life‚ but only a fool trusts either of them.” To the apocalyptics: “The world is going to hell. All we can do is look good on the trip.” To socialism: “To grasp the true meaning of socialism‚ imagine a world where everything is designed by the post office‚ even the sleaze.” To feminism: “We got over feminism‚ too. At least women did‚ as soon as they were hired for those high-prestige jobs that only men used to have. It turns out that work sucks.” To Republicans: “Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work‚ and then they get elected and prove it.” To the health Nazis: “If I give up drinking‚ smoking‚ and fatty foods‚ I can add ten years to my life. Trouble is‚ I’ll add it to the wrong end.” To Western demagogues: “African famine is not a visitation of fate. It is largely man-made‚ and the men who made it are largely Africans.” To Obama’s lies: “The good news is that‚ according to the Obama administration‚ the rich will pay for everything. The bad news is that‚ according to the Obama administration‚ you’re rich.” And to teetotalers: “Never Refuse Wine. It is an odd but universally held opinion that anyone who doesn’t drink must be an alcoholic.” The list would be endless. He always hid a couple of laughs among the truth‚ and he always hid a bit of truth among the laughter.  I already said in his obituary here in The American Spectator that‚ when he died‚ I was working on the first O’Rourke anthology in Spanish — today it is almost finished; I trust it will be released this year — and I dreamed of meeting him on the occasion of its presentation. Death came as a bad joke at the beginning of the show. But two years later‚ I have understood that everything is in his work‚ that he is in his work much more than other authors. (READ THE PIECE: P.J. O’Rourke: A Free Soul and the Funniest Writer in America) We miss him. Fortunately‚ I will soon be able to pay him a small tribute in the United States‚ and soon I will also be able to tell you about it here. In the meantime‚ when the press gets boring‚ when current events urge you to melancholy‚ and when the political news seems to have no solution‚ I go back to his articles and books and discover that even the darkest problems deserve a laugh that puts them in perspective before continuing to write about them. Otherwise we run the risk of taking ourselves too seriously. And the truth is that our primary vocation is not to save the world or fix all its problems but to save our own souls. We leave it to the leftists to try to fix everything else. Translated by Joel Dalmau. The post Two Years Without the Audacity and Laughter of P.J. O’Rourke appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

There aren’t many platforms left on the internet that protect free speech and encourage the exchange of ideas. Social media platforms like Facebook‚ Instagram‚ and YouTube have all de-platformed and demonetized users they believe hold extremist views‚ so when the Atlantic took aim at Substack back in November‚ accusing the platform of making money off of Nazi newsletters‚ everyone expected it to cave to the accusations. (READ MORE: Colorado’s Fascist Four Unify GOP Behind Trump) But Substack didn’t. Instead‚ the whole incident sparked a debate between writers on and off the platform over who should be moderating extremist views — the host platform‚ or the writers‚ readers‚ and thinkers engaging with ideas on it. “Let the writers and readers moderate‚ not the social media platforms. And don’t have one big town square we all have to be exposed to‚ have a bunch of smaller ones that we can choose to be part of‚” Elle Griffin wrote in a statement signed by popular writers‚ including Richard Dawkins and Barri Weiss. (READ MORE: Poland’s Liberal-Democracy Has Adopted Martial Law) That doesn’t mean the platform hasn’t shut down some publications — it prohibits porn and calls to violence — but it has stood firm. Watch the video to get the whole story! WATCH more from Aubrey Gulick: The Supreme Court Will Hear Case on Abortion Pill. Here’s Why That Matters. Kerry Promises to Get Rid of Coal Faster. That’s Not Good. It’s Time to Stop Normalizing Suicide The post Does Substack Have a Nazi Problem? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

This year’s Golden Globes‚ once the most lighthearted and humorous award show in the Hollywood pantheon‚ reminded us just how irrelevant — and unfunny — the entertainment industry has become.  What is often dubbed “Hollywood’s best party” quickly became its biggest flop. Minutes into the opening dialogue from first-time host Jo Koy‚ the audience‚ both in person and at home‚ realized this would be about as much fun as binge-watching Netflix’s documentary on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.  READ MORE: Britain’s Woke Tempests Target Even James Bond The newbie comedian‚ who most had never heard of until Sunday night‚ was hired just two weeks prior to awards show. His lack of preparation was evident‚ but so was his lack of professionalism. Like any good victim‚ he blamed the producers. “Yo‚ I got the gig 10 days ago‚” he proclaimed‚ and not in a tone to elicit any sort of empathy. “You want a perfect monologue? Yo‚ shut up!” he cried after his multiple jokes about the Barbie movie failed to garner anything more than an uncomfortable chuckle: “And Barbie is [about] a plastic doll with big boobies.” Ummmm… It’s hard to believe the show’s writers would allow such an immature‚ devastatingly dull line‚ but‚ apparently‚ they did‚ because Koy also blamed the writers for all the barbs that didn’t land: “I wrote some of these‚ and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.” Yikes. Not exactly what one would call a gracious host. Understandably‚ the 52-year-old comedian must have been under immense pressure as a first-time host in a room full of peers and a national audience of 9.4 million viewers — up 50 percent from last year‚ but still a dramatic decline from a few years ago.  I wanted to give the guy some grace‚ so I watched some of his other skits. Nope. Still not funny. Which comes as no surprise. Very few comedians are funny these days. They’re not allowed to be because the truth is no longer tolerated. As many comedians — from George Carlin to Dave Chappelle — have asserted‚ funnymen are the truth tellers‚ prophets‚ even. They make bitter poisons palatable. Comedians help us to look at the darkest parts of humanity and ourselves without dropping into deep despair. When you can no longer tell the truth‚ you stop being funny. You resort to jokes about “boobies” and base‚ lewd behavior rather than intelligent insights. As one 2013 article in Esquire in described‚ comedians are “[t]akers of liberty‚ givers of offense[;] their hostility is deliberate‚ their cruelty relentless — freeing us to laugh at our weakness‚ pain‚ and rage. No wonder we repay them with our love.”  Not only with our love‚ but also with generous paychecks. Chappelle earns $20 million from Netflix any time he chooses to do a performance for the streaming platform. He has done at least five specials since 2016. Despite fierce backlash for his recent jokes about the transgender religion‚ Chappelle isn’t backing down. In fact‚ in his most recent show‚ The Dreamer‚ he doubles down. He recounts a story about how excited he was to meet for the first time Jim Carey‚ who‚ portraying the legendary comic Andy Kaufman‚ wouldn’t break character while shooting Man on the Moon. Chappelle describes‚ at length‚ how disappointed he was knowing it was Carey but having to pretend he was someone else. You wonder where he is going with the whole bit until he finally delivers the punchline in the way only Dave Chappelle can: “I say all that to say — that’s how trans people make me feel.” The crowd goes wild. The clip went viral within minutes.  That kind of laughter‚ particularly these days‚ is gold. But very few have the courage to even get near the golden calves of today’s insane culture obsessed with gender‚ sexuality‚ politics‚ and microaggressions — all ripe fodder for belly-aching laughs.  Ricky Gervais has always been funny because he is so politically incorrect‚ serving cutting insults to those closest to him — actors. In fact‚ the last time the Golden Globes saw a funny host‚ it had Gervais at the podium. Whenever I’m in need of a good laugh‚ I still watch his iconic 2020 opening monologue‚ which chided Hollywood’s elite for consorting with Jeffrey Epstein‚ as well as for their blatant hypocrisy.  “Well‚ you say you’re woke‚ but the companies you work for‚ I mean‚ unbelievable‚” he ranted. “Apple‚ Amazon‚ Disney — if ISIS started a streaming service‚ you’d call your agent‚ wouldn’t ya?” He didn’t stop there: So if you do win an award tonight‚ don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech‚ alright? You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win‚ right‚ come up‚ accept your little award‚ thank your agent and your God‚ and f*** off. The reactions in the room were priceless. Needless to say‚ some did not appreciate his facts.  Those at the top seem to be fine with jokes as long as they’re not the butt of them. Taylor Swift‚ who is at the prime of her career‚ demonstrated no graciousness whatsoever at what may have been the only funny moment Koy had all night.  “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL?” he asked. “On the Golden Globes‚ we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”  It was funny because it was true. Swift did not agree. The camera panned to reveal a look that would have turned anyone to stone.  Taylor Swift reacts to host Jo Koy’s joke at the Golden Globes (Page Six/YouTube) Predictably‚ the Guardian published a piece slamming the two most popular‚ and likely most wealthy‚ stand-ups with the headline “Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais sink to new depths‚” referring to their jokes about what many now refer to as “the oppressed.”  While it’s difficult to get viewership for shows on Netflix (they don’t disclose those statistics)‚ it’s safe to say the studio has made a solid bet with Chappelle. His most recent special is currently at No. 2 in Netflix’s top 10‚ with many clips from the show flooding social media.  In an ironic twist‚ Gervais’ current show‚ Armageddon‚ won a Golden Globe this year for best performance in stand-up. As if to demonstrate how little Gervais cares‚ he wasn’t even present to accept the award. According to the Guardian‚ those accomplishments don’t constitute success. The byline on the article describes the men as “two once-funny comedians continuing to punch down in a desperate quest for relevance.”  Their recent accolades would suggest they are actually quite relevant. And that is what comedians do — punch. They punch down‚ up‚ sideways‚ and any which way they can to give us some reprieve from a world that seems all too tragic these days. But this is what Hollywood and‚ indeed‚ much of our society has become — a humorless minority without so much as a hint of humility. While we used to laugh with them‚ now we just laugh at them.  The post It’s Globe-fficial: Hollywood Has Lost Its Sense of Humor appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Of all of the litigation Trump faces across the country‚ Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis’ RICO case in Fulton County was perhaps the scariest — but not anymore. The discovery that Willis and attorney Nathan Wade were dating both before and after she hired him as a special prosecutor has landed her in hot water. On this episode of The Spectacle podcast‚ hosts Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay discuss both the corruption at the Fulton County courthouse and the shady business that seems to have been conducted at the election booths amid bursting water lines. Order Scott’s new book‚ Racism‚ Revenge and Ruin: It’s All Obama‚ here. Read Scott’s commentary here: The Devil Just Went Down in Georgia Read Scott’s and Melissa’s writing here and here. Listen to The Spectacle with Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay on Spotify. Watch The Spectacle with Melissa Mackenzie and Scott McKay on Rumble.  The post <;i>;The Spectacle<;/i>; Ep. 58: Secret Boyfriends and Corruption: Georgia RICO Case Isn’t So Scary Now appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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