Comedy Befits the Dignity of the Office...Because it is an Office

With respects to the burning issue of whether or not appearing on a comedy program with Zack Galifianakis somehow reduces the office of the presidency or whatever, I must confess I find it on a par with carping about dungarees or any other trifling thing that effectively has nothing to say about the substance of the policies the twice-elected current president of the US promotes.

But I think it might as well be pointed out that in general, I don't feel that in a democracy, an overly scrupulous public persona ought to prevail. We aren't a monarchy and have nothing akin to lese majeste as such, other than the standards against slander and libel that might pertain to any citizen of repute. That being noted, a great deal is said against all of our public figures, our elected officials not excluded, sometimes flirting right up on that line of slander or libel. Politics being what it is, suits don't even seem to be often pursued on the issue of libel, because it too often publicizes the very doubt about one's character one would rather not have been entertained in the first place.

But just as critics have substantial leeway with respects to public figures, those figures also need room to do their jobs and be human beings. I think regarding the idea that the seriousness of parts of one's job preclude the possibility of enjoying any light-hearted moments is weirdly constrictive. The presidency of the United States is a unique position--it doesn't really have regular hours because at any time, there might be some crisis to attend to. So why not lighten up sometimes?

In this country, the Nerd Prom  has become an institution of a sort and strongly resembles a kind of roast, in a way, of our Politico-Media complex. Political figures and causes have often depended on celebrities to spread the word with their endorsements. There's nothing particularly out of the ordinary in using this kind of platform to inform about or popularize a given program. So the only real criticism I really hear is the fear that..I don't know...it will work?

Yeah. I think that is the problem.