From Andy Borowitz via Heather Cox Richardson:
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When George W. Bush launched his War on Terror, I noted that it was the first time in history that someone had declared war on a human emotion. If Bush defeated terror, I wondered, what was next—shyness?
In his second term, Donald Trump has declared a War on Laughter, and I suspect it will be every bit as successful as Bush’s crusade.
Trump’s fear of being laughed at is nothing short of pathological. For years he’s been a crybaby about his portrayal on “Saturday Night Live.” And it was Barack Obama’s mockery of him at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner that reportedly impelled him to run for president. (Thanks, Obama.)
Like everything else rattling around in the commodious cavern of Trump’s brain, his fear of ridicule is unoriginal: he shares it with pretty much every dictator in the world. You might have noticed, for example, that there isn’t a thriving comedy scene in Pyongyang.
The autocrats’ anxiety is entirely justified. Comedy is their kryptonite. They rule by intimidation, and when we laugh at them, their power to scare us evaporates. As Mark Twain wrote in The Mysterious Stranger, “Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”
Which brings me to Stephen Colbert, who hosts his final “Late Show” tonight.
Last year, Colbert roasted the Quislings
(Andy Borowtitz's article typo corrected for Ed Slavin blog post)
at CBS’s parent company, Paramount, for donating $16 million to Trump’s presidential library to settle a risible lawsuit he filed against them. Shari Redstone, who had become Paramount’s biggest shareholder thanks to the demise of her icky father, was desperate to keep the government from scuttling a merger that would make her even richer. In light of her greedy groveling, Colbert was justified in calling the payment a “big fat bribe.”
Shortly after Colbert’s reckless decision to speak the truth, Trump’s proxies at CBS dutifully canceled his show, issuing the following statement: "This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
No offense to Colbert, but the funniest comedian at CBS is whoever wrote that statement. They might be the most hilarious words ever typed, with the possible exception of the phrase “Trump’s presidential library.”
I seriously doubt tonight’s farewell episode is the last we’ll hear from the indefatigably creative Colbert, who will likely move to a new platform where he’ll enjoy more freedom and financial success than he had at CBS.
And as for Trump, he might think he’s winning the War on Laughter—but much like George W. Bush, he’s going to discover that his mission is far from accomplished. He can cancel all the comedians he wants, but he will never make us stop laughing at him.
(Ed's note: corrected to capitalize Quislings. See Wikipedia biography:
Vidkun Quisling | |
|---|---|
 Quisling, c.1919 | |
| Minister President of the National Government of Norway | |
| In office 1 February 1942 – 9 May 1945 Serving with Josef Terboven | |
| Preceded by | Johan Nygaardsvold (as Prime Minister) |
| Succeeded by | Johan Nygaardsvold (as Prime Minister) |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 12 May 1931 – 3 March 1933 | |
| Prime Minister | Peder Kolstad Jens Hundseid |
| Preceded by | Torgeir Anderssen-Rysst |
| Succeeded by | Jens Isak Kobro |
| Fører of the National Gathering | |
| In office 13 May 1933 – 8 May 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling 18 July 1887 Fyresdal, Telemark, Sweden-Norway |
| Died | 24 October 1945 (aged 58) Akershus Fortress, Oslo, Norway |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Party | Nasjonal Samling (1933–45) |
Other political affiliations |
|
| Spouses | |
| Profession | Military officer, politician |
| Signature |  |
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (/ˈkwɪzlɪŋ/; Norwegian: [ˈʋɪ̂dkʉnˈkʋɪ̂slɪŋ] ⓘ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945
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