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March 13, 2005
Leno's Jackson Jokes
I didn't see Leno the other night, but blogger Bernard Higgins of A Certain Slant of Light raises some good points about the host's monologue. Here's a sampling, but read the whole essay yourself:
There was a perverseness to Leno's concatenation of jokes that went far beyond defaming a pop music icon on trial for purportedly molesting a young boy at his Neverland Ranch. The jokes were not just mean-spirited. They suggested that pedophilia is just a funny fetish, rather than the sick, horrific crime it is, a crime perpetrated on innocent, unwary children...What Leno did last night was a form of abuse. It abused the rule of law; it abused the notion of fair play; it coarsened America.It's easy to poke fun at Michael Jackson for his eccentricity, but we should extend grace and love to the man. If he is guilty of molestation, then he should be punished. If he is not guilty of the things he's accused of, then all those, including Leno, who ascribed guilt to Jackson prior to his conviction, should be ashamed. That aside - as Bernard has written so well - child abuse is never funny and Leno appears to have crossed the line.
Posted by Rick at March 13, 2005 09:33 PM
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You are spot on, Rick. What is happening with the Jackson trial is an extension of what took place during Clinton's impeachment: Something very base and coarse became a joking matter. (My then 8 year-old son was asking me what oral sex is.) Now my 7 year-old daughter sees Jackson-related material on TV (that is unavoidable now) and she asks me what pedophilia is and why everyone is laughing about it. It's really very confusing to her. It's a shame.
Posted by: The Hedgehog at March 14, 2005 09:12 PM