2024-02-19 07:43:25
If the misery of American establishment comedy had a name, it would be: Jordan Klepper. The 44-year-old employee of the “Daily Show” (model of the “Today Show” – and just as unfunny in recent years) has specialized in satirical street polls with Trump voters. Klepper and his camera team regularly appear at his election rallies and make fun of supporters of the ex-president in “interviews”. It usually happens like it did in his most recent one Video. Klepper speaks to a couple before a campaign event for the ex-president.
Klepper: “Trump says he wants to be dictator on his first day in office. How do you find that?”
Answer: “Let’s go!”
Klepper: “But not like a Hitler-like dictator?”
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Answer: “No.”
Klepper: “More like a Mussolini-like dictator?”
Answer: “Yes.”
It’s cheap rhetorical tricks like this that Klepper uses to expose his interviewees. The supposed reporter presents an obscure thesis and hopes that the other person will agree without thinking and probably overwhelmed by the unfamiliar situation. Quite frankly, a pretty sneaky ploy. Anyone who treats people like this can hardly boast of moral superiority. Anyone who laughs about it doesn’t.
Jordan Klepper, Satirist
Quelle: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com
The left-liberal “Daily Show” viewers, who probably still drive to the organic supermarket with Hillary Clinton stickers (“I’m with her”) on the bumpers of their hybrid station wagons, still celebrate Klepper for his supposedly revealing comedy. And that says a lot about their moral foundation and humor. In any case, it is not an intellectual masterpiece to persuade citizens who are inexperienced in dealing with the media to make an unconsidered statement using pre-formulated trick questions.
When Klepper throws a provocative statement at his interlocutors, the answer is often edited out. Did a quick-witted counter-statement come back that the show makers didn’t like? You don’t find out and instead you get cleverly arranged comedy at the expense of third parties so that the audience sees their prejudices about Trump voters confirmed. All stupid backwoods. Humor for your own echo chamber.
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It’s not particularly subversive. People who don’t have power or influence are ridiculed here. People who respond openly to Klepper’s questions. Many people don’t suspect that the person they’re talking to is just trying to get them over the edge. Many people probably only find out what the purpose of the interview was from watching it on television, if they even see it.
These are people who perhaps end up with Trump because they feel ignored and despised by the big city elites – and whose perhaps only contact with the hated media scene is now a lanky polo shirt wearer who only drives into the interior of the country to meet its residents to mock an audience of millions. Who can blame these people for their impression?
Especially since on the political opposite side there are also deluded minds with little coherent worldviews. Left-liberal college kids and pride parade participants in big cities are often no smarter than the average rural Trump voter. A quick online search in the popular video portals is enough to find street polls by right-wing activists who try Klepper’s tricks on “liberals” – and also embarrass their opponents in the process.
Comedy and its limits
The TikToker maliksnaps In a short clip, for example, asks passers-by whether 12-year-olds should be allowed to get tattoos. The answer from those surveyed: “No.” This is a decision that has too far-reaching consequences for adolescents. Then the TikToker asks: “Can 12-year-olds, note: children with gender dysphoria, agree to the use of puberty blockers?” The unanimous answer: “Yes.”
Left-liberal America also doesn’t seem to think through its positions particularly consistently. But here, too, one could argue that the TikToker reduces complex social debates to trick questions that are only about public exposure without any interest in a real debate. When it comes to infamy, right-wing pollsters are in no way inferior to left-wing ones.
Things usually only become interesting when the interviewee cannot be lured out of their reserve. A video recently went viral in which a conservative streamer asked a passerby: “LGBTQ rights or economic stability?” What is more important?” But the man with a ponytail and Bluetooth earphones saw through the apparent contradiction and calmly replied: “I reject the question.” Both goals are compatible with each other. The puzzled “reporter” tried to push for a decision, but then gave up. At least he (unlike Jordan Klepper) put the exchange completely online, even though he made a fool of himself.
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The independent journalist collective “More Perfect Union” shows how the street survey format can be used without spite disguised as comedy and with sincere interest. Their reporter contributes Trump events also conducted interviews. But instead of mocking his conversation partners or luring them into a trap, he gives them space, listens respectfully and with interest – and in this way learns something substantial.
For example, a former employee of the energy company Halliburton talks about how bad his working conditions were – and he blames the company for the Iraq War. Another visitor criticizes “corporate capitalism”. A young man talks about how expensive food is now. You might think you’ve landed at an event hosted by left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders. And you get an idea of the socio-economic problems that concern people in the country. At least there are still a handful of media professionals who are genuinely interested in their fellow citizens.
Jordan Klepper is undoubtedly not one of these people. You don’t learn anything relevant from him. His clips can only be found entertaining by viewers made cynical by their hatred of their political opponents. Everyone else can save themselves Klepper’s “Comedy”.
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