In an interview, comic Andy Kindler – who spends about as much time engaging with Trump supporters as he does onstage these days – explained how jokes have become a very real weapon against a thin-skinned regime.
Kindler, whose annual State of the Industry addresses at Montreal’s Just for Laughs festival always contain some very real jabs at fellow comics and insiders, is pretty much an expert in crafting backhanded compliments. And as a king of one-liners, his wry takes translate well on Twitter, where his feed reads like a real-time recap of a trash fire. Some (ok, many) may argue that sitting around and making jokes isn’t helping anything; that making fun of anyone (even monsters) is “mean,” but to Kindler, lashing back has an impact.
For this Washington Post piece on Melissa McCarthy’s brilliant Sean Spicer SNL cameo, and the Trump admin’s kindergarten-level immature reaction, writer Elahe Ezade speaks with experts and insiders across party lines who describe Trump’s obsession with image and inability to accept ridicule. To Kindler, this self-obsession is his Achille’s Heel.
“This is the world’s greatest roast with the most serious consequences in the history of our country,” he tells Ezade. “This is a classic situation where the more the target shows weakness, the more the target needs to be prodded.”
“I hope it keeps going. I hope it makes him resign.”
On the same topic, comic Nikki Glaser weighs in: “[T]here are bullies on their side, but we can bully them with comedy — it’s just outsmarting them with comedy.”
