This Week in PurpleAmerica (4/13-4/19)

SNL Beavis and Butthead, Sandy Hook, Civil War and Your Feedback.

The thing everyone was talking about this week was a skit on Saturday Night Live where two people looked like Beavis and Butthead. I kind of found it derivative and dull. I mean, sure, it made me giggle at first, but the only thing about it was that one joke. And if you didn’t get the joke, they made it a point over and over and over again to state how much they looked like Beavis and Butthead to make sure you got it. And then they had to explain it. My theory has always been if you have to explain a joke, it’s not really funny. I thought the best thing about it was the end when you had the group looking like the “King of the Hill” gang. That I busted up at. If you look at the whole Beavis and Butthead thing as build up, the King of the Hill at the end was the payoff. Unfortunately, based on how everyone else reacted to it, that wasn’t the intent.

Which really got me thinking how our humor has changed and evolved over the past 50 or so years. Slapstick and physical comedy were still popular in the 1970s, and even serious topics like race and sexism were easy targets to make fun of, such as what Richard Pryor talked about hilariously in his stand ups. However, that kind of humor faded out as Gen X came of age in the 1980s. Slapstick became “low brow.” With the rise of Stand Up Comedy Clubs and more verbal humor, more ironic, sarcastic humor became the norm; most the big comedies of the ‘80s focused on this aspect. The 1990s saw the rise of “dumb humor” like Beavis and Butthead and Bill and Ted, or if you don’t get the point, “Dumb and Dumber.” They kind of took the more sarcastic aspects of the 1980s and made them more literal, revealing a frank level of stupidity for a generation that grew up with sarcasm. With “There’s Something About Mary” and “American Pie” in the late 90s early 2000s, humor leaned more toward gross out gags, and more sexually oriented pranks. Slob comedies have always done well and Seth Rogen made his career doing a number of them. With Judd Apatow practically owning the 2010s when it came to comedies, most of the humor were more “duck out of water” kind of gags or people who just socially didn’t fit in; strikingly, much of these were aimed at people in their 30s and 40s.

Which brings us to this day and age. I’m further and further convinced that Gen Z has an utter lack of humor. It’s not really their fault though; nothing funny has been directed at them ever in their lives, and the social issues they hold so dear as sacred idols have made them all way too uptight. Is there any surprise that comedians avoid college campuses like the plague these days? Bark up the wrong tree and you’re likely to get chased out of town. The only thing they find funny is the absurdity of actual people honestly doing things they believe in to which they disagree (see Jordan Klepper below). Truth is funnier than fiction to them.

Quickly, off the top of your head, when was the last really funny movie you saw at a theatre? An entire generation hasn’t laughed. That’s why we are where we are. That’s why a one joke skit on SNL (which hasn’t been funny for years) which had to be explained to a new generation and is derivative of a show that happened 30 years ago is making the rounds this week. If the same skit aired in the 1980s with someone looking like Jackie Gleason, all it’d likely elicit would be an eyeroll.¹

Serious times require a very unserious release. Society needs vents to ease off the pressure. People really need to laugh again and find the humor in life. This entire generation with sticks up their a**es need to let loose, laugh at absurdity and not take everything so seriously anymore. Instead, they’re fixated on TikTok laughing at eggplant emojis and people reciting dad jokes. Why? Because its offered as “something funny.”

We can do better. We have to do better.

Now that the Writers are back at work after the strike last year, I’m pleading with them: Bring back the Great American Comedy. We need to laugh again. Gen Z needs to laugh just once. Support a new generation of comedic writers and actors. If you have to start with slapstick again just to get the ball rolling, we’re fine with it. But please, make us laugh.

PurpleAmerica’s People of the Past Week

The Good

Mike Gallagher, R-WI. Gallagher had built up a reputation as being a relatively reasonable kind of legislator. He represents the Green Bay area of the state and it has a solid mix of Democratic and Republican voters. He saw the direction the GOP was headed and wanted no further part of it. He chose to resign and today is his last day, bringing the GOP majority in the House to a single solitary vote. It hasn’t been this close in the House since 1917.

Shogun. I was in this lull not finding anything on TV and just kind of trying to find something when I saw this on Hulu and started watching. It’s exceptionally good, a lot like Game of Thrones but without dragons and taking place in Imperial Japan. Almost all of it is subtitled (though there are some western characters who speak english) but it’s particularly engaging. The final episode is next week, so binge now to get caught up. Highly Recommended.

Jordan Klepper. The man is a national treasure at this moment in time. His most recent clip.

The Bad

The Nuts in the GOP. Yup, that’s right. They are about to turn on Speaker Mike Johnson again and vacate the chair, over his willingness to bring much needed foreign aid packages for Ukraine and Israel to the floor. The GOP is in such dysfunction right now that Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in his first year as party leader, has more votes for Speaker of the House than any member in history. Johnson was a grudging choice last time after the GOP cycled through Scalise, Emmer, Jordan and flirted with others. It would seem unlikely they would be able to come to a consensus on anyone else if they chose this route.

Civil War. Saw this last weekend and was pretty disappointed. To be sure, it’s thoughtful, impactful and very graphic, but in reality it just continues a trend of dystopia porn, of which I’m tired and bored of now. Add zombies to it and its a Walking Dead episode. Some of the scenes stay with you, a testament to the craft of how well it was made. Nonetheless, the story is mediocre and the narrative is all over the place. Releasing this now too is also a little…irresponsible (see the “Historical Note” section).

The Ugly

Congressional Republicans. They impeached Secretary of Homeland Affairs head Andrew Mayorkas because they say he wasn’t protecting the border. Nevermind, that his hands are tied by, you know, actual laws on the matter, and that a bill to fix most of that and gave the GOP everything they wanted was spurned by the House GOP in order to keep immigration an issue. This week, they started hearings in the Senate, and it’s frankly appalling. The GOP has passed the least number of bills than any Congress in American history, and its not close. And then they focus on this and on ditching their Speaker(s). Abyssmal.

All of us. This one stings particularly but we all share a level of blame. The innocent kids tragically killed in Sandy Hook Elementary all those years ago, they would be graduating this year had the event not happened. To date, we as a society have done practically nothing on guns. As one observer noted, “We lost the gun debate when all those kids were killed at Sandy Hook and America decided they were OK with it.” That the Sandy Hook kids died that day is extremely sad; that we have done nothing to fix the problem is outright shameful. As I write this, my eyes are welling up and I find it hard to find the words to describe what a travesty that is. I want you all to look at this picture of all the child victims, and tell them that we have failed them. Now go out there and do something to fix it.

Have a nominee for us to consider? Send an email to purpleamericanunity@gmail.com!

PurpleAmerica Pop Culture Random Top Five

This week: The Top 10 Acts Never Nominated For the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

This Sunday, live on American Idol, the 2024 class of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be announced. Followers of PurpleAmerica know my complete disdain about the Rock Hall—they’re terrible at picking who should get in. Nonetheless, I thought I would use the opportunity to highlight ten acts that should be in the Hall, but WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN NOMINATED. That none of these have been considered is not only mindbending, it’s a travesty. In no particular order:

• Joe Cocker. Probably one of the most unique and fantastic singers ever.

• Motley Crue. The RnRHOF has a real blind spot when it comes to anything post 1984 rock, particularly Heavy Metal, Hard Rock and Grunge. Ask anyone who picked up a guitar in the ‘80s who inspired them to rock, and they’d undoubtedly put Motley Crue (along with another long neglected band, Iron Maiden) on the list. They set the standard for every rock act in the latter half of the ‘80s.

• REO Speedwagon. REO’s music defined the ‘80s, and gave rise to something ubiquitous—the power ballad.

• .38 Special, The ‘80s act genre-crossed rock, pop and country 40 years before Beyonce tried it. They were better at it too.

• Weezer. The mainstays who are still churning out hits have never been nominated. What a joke.

• INXS. The Aussie band that defined the late ‘80s pop rock and made Michael Hutchens a star has never been considered.

• Phil Collins. Collins is in the hall as a member of Genesis, but his solo career for which he has never been nominated, is even more impressive. He had more #1 songs in the 1980s than any other solo singer not named Michael Jackson. Think about that. He was also the only person to play Live Aid in both London and Philadelphia.

• Boston. One guy, playing every instrument, making huge platinum selling albums and rock classics. You could say the same thing about Beck, but at least he’s been nominated.

• Huey Lewis and the News. In 1984 only five albums made it to #1, all of them classics. Michael Jackson, Thriller; Bruce Springsteen “Born in the USA”; Prince, “Purple Rain”; Footloose Soundtrack; and Huey Lewis and the News’ “Sports.” Sports had 6 singles, all of them making the top 20, including two #1s.² And yet his biggest hits didn’t come until later in the decade. And as if to underscore how big Huey was, when they made “We are the World,” it was Huey Lewis who followed Michael Jackson’s solo line.

• The huge grunge acts of the early 90s. Alice in Chains. Smashing Pumpkins. Stone Temple Pilots. At least the Hall grudgingly nominated Soundgarden and then turned them down (that they didn’t get in is fraudulent as well—they absolutely should be in). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just completely omits and neglects this important era in Rock. You want to talk about Blind Spots, the only two to make it in are Nirvana and Pearl Jam and that was because they were so huge the Hall would have lost all legitimacy not letting them in. It’s this kind of stupidity that makes the Rock Hall a complete joke of an organization.

And that’s not even counting the scores who were nominated, are deserving and never make it in. I mean, some of the nominees that come up every so often instead has to have everyone scratching their heads. Some of these that actually do make it in are downright absurd.

So when you are sitting at home this weekend and watching Cher, Dave Matthews and Sinead O’Conner making it in, you can be a part of the collective groan that is the Modern Hall of Musical Mediocrity.

PurpleAmerica’s Subscriber Mail

When we here at PurpleAmerica Respond to the Teeming Millions (well, we’re still working on that first million)

It was an interesting week here at PurpleAmerica. I ran three articles this week, each of which I was expecting some level of blowback. Instead what I saw was mostly….respect and hesitant agreement. I could certainly use more weeks like this.

On Erwin Chemerinsky and Toxic Activism…

“I’m originally from Egypt studying here in the US, and I’ve seen that dynamic my whole life. Everyone screams, nothing gets resolved. Although I side with the Palestinians, and find what Netanyahu and Israel doing exceptionally cruel and murderous, taking actions like this protester did just gives people an excuse not to listen and even repulses them toward the cause. If you want people to listen and agree, you have to be polite, choose the right circumstances and also do something none of those protesters did, have a conversation.”

“Reminds me of when the Internet went apeshit over Kony? Remember that? About 10 or so years ago? That african warlord that there was this huge hashtag activism over, and if you pointed out that retweeting something from your couch didn’t do anything at all people ratioed you? Where is Kony now? Still warlording in Africa.”

“I’m so tired of all this shit and disruption, regardless of who does it. My attitude is more ‘I don’t want to be bothered’ and when someone takes my head and rams it against a wall with an issue in which I have no stake, I’m not going to like that issue, that person or that cause.”

On OJ

“American news was broken long before then. OJ just deepened the fault lines.”

“You can draw a direct line documenting the downfall of society from Elvis to the current day. Elvis, married Priscilla Presley, who starred in the Naked Gun with OJ Simpson, who’s best friend was Robert Kardashian, who was father to Kim and the other Kardashians, who completely ruined American culture. It’s all Elvis’ fault.”³

“I’m so glad I grew up after that whole shitshow.”

“Normally I would say ‘R.I.P'.’ but considering this is OJ we are talking about, I’m just going to say "‘Good riddance’ and leave it at that.”

On Caitlin Clark

“If women started watching the games, going to the games, and buying merchandise, this could change overnight. Guess what? We typically don’t like basketball or sports all that much. Most women I hang out with would rather watch Vanderpump Rules or Below Deck.”

“The amount of controversy media outlets want to make out of this is insane. This is NOT sexism. This IS capitalism. When fans—men AND women—watch and attend more games and buy more merch women’s salaries will go up. Until then, it isn’t going to happen. Maybe advertise for the WNBA season pass or post links to team sites where fans can buy merch/tix. That would be much more effective than the BS that the reason Clark is paid less is sexism.”

“I’m all about equality, but until they begin to bring in the same revenue, then they can’t ask for that kind of salary.”

“The WNBA makes as much total net profit as Truth Social: zero.”

“I don’t feel sorry one bit for a player right out of college who made millions on NIL deals and is about to make millions more on endorsements. $75k is just for the ‘side gig’ for all I’m concerned.”

“I worked for a software company that tried putting together a Women’s Basketball game. We tested it out with young gamer women who were the target market and the responses were all the same: ‘Who are all these players and teams? This feels completely generic. Where’s Steph Curry?’ The project was dropped.”

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at purpleamericanunity@gmail.com

PurpleAmerica’s Historical Note from This Week

April 19th has a not so great history when it comes to the US. It is particularly noteworthy among the superpatriot and militia crowds.

You see, today is the anniversary of when the FBI and ATF stormed the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Militia types hold this day up as a symbol of government overreach. It had such a profound effect on disillusioned vet Timothy McVeigh that he chose the anniversary as the day to blow up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahama City, killing hundreds.

As a result, the FBI usually sees an uptick in chatter about pro-militia events and potential assaults as April 19th nears. With their inclusion in the January 6th insurrection, groups like the Proud Boys, One Percenters, Oath Keepers and others have gained more attention and greater memberships. With Trump on trial currently in New York, it was suggested recently that something negative could happen as the day approached.

PurpleAmerica’s Dad/Uncle/Cheesy Joke of the Week

Beavis and Butthead first premiered on an animated MTV show called “Liquid Television.” The piece, titled “Frog Baseball” appears below.

And with that…

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Footnotes and Fun Stuff

1. Believe it or not, that actually happened. On SNL, in what is considered its worst season ever, Anthony Michael Hall did a skit regarding the “lost Honeymooners episode.” It failed to elicit a laugh. Both Hall and Robert Downey Jr left SNL midway through the season. They’ve both done well for themselves.

2. Since “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr was found in court to essentially be “I want a new drug”, you could argue there were 3.

3. Interesting side note to this. I just read that they are making a Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson in the Leslie Neilsen role, and Pamela Anderson in the Presley one.