Sunday, October 18, 2009

For Christ's Sake, It's Fucking Satire


Complaints about Silverman's video insipid

Many Catholics around the world are very upset with comedian Sarah Silverman this week, and it (sadly) isn't all that hard to see why.

In a video published on YouTube this week, Silverman offers her "genius" solution to world hunger: sell the Vatican, and use the proceeds of the "$500 billion" the city must be worth to feed the hungry.

To the feverish legions of the "tax the churches" crowd, who almost certainly must overlook the fact that Catholic charities provide hundreds of millions of dollars in support for impoverished people around the world, this may seem like a fantastic idea on its own merit.

Other people will recognize Silverman's video for precisely what it is: fucking satire. But sadly, not everyone.

Predictably, Silverman's video drew complaints from organizations like the Catholic League.

"Silverman's assault on Catholicism is just another example of HBO's corporate irresponsibility. Time and again, if it's not Bill Maher thrashing the Catholic church, it's one of his guests," complained Donahue. "There is obviously something pathological going on there: Silverman's filthy diatribe would never be allowed if the chosen target were the chief rabbi of Jerusalem and the state of Israel. Here's a reality check for Silverman: the Catholic church operates more hospitals and feeds more of the poor than any private institution in the world."

But perhaps Bill Donahue is reading much too much into Silverman's video.

After all, it's fhcking satire. In the video Silverman performs her best impression of a shallow valley girl pretending to be concerned about a social isisue. She proposes a solution that would require no effort or sacrifice from herself. She brags about her big-screen TV.

Her concern about the issue is born not out of genuine concern for the people involved, or out of knowledge about the issue, but merely out of the sheer annoyance of having to sit through a World Vision commercial.

It's actually preferable by a wide margin to the "concern" of celebrity activists just looking to sell some more CDs, or boost ticket sales for their latest film. One quickly remembers the absurdity of rapper Belly telling audiences that if climate change isn't curbed it would quickly run out of control, as if he were himself a world-leading scientist.

(He was repeating the conclusions of a scientist. Unfortunately, that scientist was George Monbiot, a zoologist, not a climatologist.)

Likewise, Silverman tells us that Arby's employees in Ethiopia are paid nothing an hour because they don't exist.

What Silverman says is true even in its absurdity. Whereas what Belly once told the world about climate change in between telling the world that he's "the fuckin' man" (he's a very profound songwriter. -ed) may or may not be true, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that it very well may not.

Bill Donahue's knee-jerk reaction to anything that so much breathes the name of the Catholic Church without what he believes is its due reverence has led him into the folly of denouncing a parody.

He needs to get a grip. It's fucking satire. And it's obvious.

4 comments:

  1. Agreed people need to relax and let people excercise their free speech. This is an example of drawing much more attention by attacking those "controversial" statements.

    I am surprised Rick Mercer was not brought before the HRC for his early work.

    Too many stuffed shirts with too much spare time.

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  2. I don't fully view it as an issue of free speech, I view it as an issue of having a bloody sense of humour.

    The funny thing is that a lot of the disingenuous would-be lefties who are chuckling at this really shouldn't be. She's making fun of them.

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  3. Ahh, Mr Donahue. More commonly know as the Catholic equivalent of Pat Roberston.

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  4. He's far too sensitive.

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