In Defense of Samantha Bee

Someday Americans are going to start paying attention to reality again instead of always naively accepting the narrative yarns that Trump and his trolls keep spinning. As long as his lies glitter with the patina of ersatz Presidential veracity, though, they’re going to be believed. Unfortunately, too many citizens — especially the ones who voted for him — are too willing to bestow Trump with credibility he never had in the first place.

In other words, Americans are going to allow Trump to con them — again — and then thank him for being such an honest, straightalkin’ con man.

Latest case in point? The fabricated Samantha Bee Brouhaha.

Here we go again. Another funny woman criticizes Trump and gets into trouble. He takes offense at her remarks and agitates his base with angry tweets and biased rhetoric. Americans look, listen, then take sides. He demands an apology, so does the loyal crowd on his side. She apologizes, but Trump and his minions retaliate by castigating her and demanding her immediate dismissal, anyway. Only this time, things have gotten a lot different — and a lot scarier — with writer/comic/TV host Samantha Bee.

This time Trump is publicly criticizing an outspoken woman for something she said on TV that could not possibly have been HEARD by TV viewers. This time his loyal supporters are expressing their outrage over “vile remarks” that they literally could not have heard Ms. Bee say. No one who actually watched the show could have heard her say them, either.

How do I know this? Because I was actually watching this show when she allegedly insulted The First Daughter — and supposedly burned the ears of other TV viewers who were also watching “Full Frontal.” And. I. heard. nothing. objectionable. or. profane. that. night.

I’m not the President of The United States. I can’t pretend to hear words I never heard or make up words that were never audibly said.

No vile, offensive words were ever transmitted over the airwaves on Wednesday, May 30, at 9:30 PM, CST, on the TBS network. Furthermore, no viewers could have possibly heard those vile, offensive words, either. I know I didn’t.

But how was it, dear readers, that I never heard Samantha Bee call Ivanka Trump a “feckless ****?”

Because Samantha Bee was censored!

Because those 2 little “vile words” were bleeped out!

That’s why no one could HEAR Ms. Bee say what Trump and his base claimed she was saying!

Unless you were a professional lip reader, there was no way you could have heard what she said, either. All I actually heard was an “eff” sound right before feckless was bleeped out. The horrible profanity that no one dared speak was completely bleeped out. So I, along with others watching “Full Frontal,” could only guess what she had said. Then after the show aired, word on the street and online determined she had said the “C-word.” But even then, I couldn’t swear in a court of law that I knew exactly what she had said. I still wasn’t sure that she had actually said the “C-word.”

Needless to say, that’s the whole point of censoring words people find offensive. Censorship of speech exists so people who become insulted and offended won’t have to hear what bothers them. And yet, in the Bee Brouhaha, Americans became upset over 2 little words that only “Full Frontal’s” studio audience could hear.

It’s one thing to become angry and upset when you hear something offensive. It’s quite another thing altogether when the offensive language has been removed so you can’t hear it and you STILL become angry and upset. Especially when both TV viewers and the studio audience had been forewarned with “Viewer Discretion Advised: For Mature Audiences Only (MA)” because of the Language and Dialogue. What’s really happening here?

America is being trumped — again.

The real problem here is that our demagogue-in-chief is slowly and systematically removing his critics — ESPECIALLY the female ones — from their media platforms. That’s Trump’s M.O. He’s making a real, unmistakable effort to disempower — then silence — the critical voices of these women.

Not only is his UN-American conduct being ignored or excused or watered down, but Americans are missing an essential piece of the latest puzzle. No news reports or on-air discussions are even addressing the obvious reality: that no one, aside from “Full Frontal’s” studio audience, literally HEARD this offensive language. That’s significant, but that fact isn’t getting any accurate airtime. News anchors, reporters, and commentators are declaring that Ms. Bee used language so profane, that “we can’t even repeat it on-air.”

Duh. Neither could TBS! That’s why they bleeped it out. So no one watching this TV show could hear it.

Sometimes when current events ignite a firestorm of spoken and written words, people find themselves on similar wavelengths. They come up with the same ideas and catch-phrases at the same time. They’re not trying to copy or plagiarize, though. They just find themselves caught up in the same Zeitgeist by coincidence. Usually, they shrug it off with “Great minds think alike.” But in this case, I haven’t come across anyone else who’s on my wavelength.

I haven’t found anyone else who’s even wondering about the missing piece of the Bee puzzle. So far, I’m the only one who’s wondering how some bleeped-out words from a TV show with such low ratings could capture such negative attention nationwide.

How did the people who are demanding the firing of Samantha Bee and cancellation of “Full Frontal” know what she said? And how could they know so quickly with such certainty?

Blame it on Trump’s Modus Operandi to DISTRACT, DIVERT, DISTORT.

With Trump in charge, rational, intellectual consideration always dissolves into irrational, emotional reaction. He’s turned Samantha Bee’s valid and appropriate criticism of his Draconian immigration policy into an inappropriate attack on his daughter. Never mind that his beloved Ivanka accepted a job as his special advisor, along with all the criticism that goes along with it. Never mind that Ms. Bee’s vulgarities couldn’t even be HEARD by TV viewers. Trump came up with a Trumped-up accusation and ran with it. So did his loyal base.

Because POTUS #45 and supporters encouraged this avalanche of indignation, other important things in the Bee case were overlooked:

*In The British Isles(especially Scotland), Australia, and other countries, the “C-word” isn’t the horrifically nasty taboo word that it is here in the United States. Trump&Co. knew that and aimed their propaganda accordingly. The mere suggestion that it might have been used would have been enough to destroy Samantha Bee’s career.

*When you’re in public service, being called “feckless” is far worse than any C or B or T word could be. It means you’re “Lacking in purpose; feeble, ineffective, careless, irresponsible.” (Hmmm… Sounds familiar, like everybody in Trump’s cabinet.) If Ivanka had any sense of humor or intelligence, she would have launched her own silly tirade. As in, “You can call me a ****, but you’d better not call me feckless! I work hard! I’m an effective member of the team!” Of course, she didn’t. Probably because she IS feckless.

*Why do people who risk everything to come to our country also have to endure the heartbreaking separation from their own children? Seeking freedom and political asylum should never result in a crisis of missing children. Thanks to Trump, however, that’s exactly what’s going on.

To complicate matters even further, Trump has erected a parallel universe when it comes to immigration. During his election campaign he repeatedly complained about the “immigration problem.” As in, It’s a disaster! It’s broken! The system is broken! Obama is doing nothing! It’s getting worse! It’s Obama’s fault!

Now that he’s President and Americans are criticizing HIS immigration policy, though, he’s blaming Obama and the Democrats. As in, It’s not my policy, It’s Obama’s. Obama did it, the Democrats did it. Blame the Democrats.

Wow. Hypocrisy AND Gaslighting AND Double Standards really are running amuck in Trumplandia.

By the way, why was it okay for Trump and all the Republicans who came to their 2016 convention to openly use the “C-word” to describe Hillary Clinton? Delegates and visitors alike could buy tee shirts with “Hillary is a ****” in big letters. Celebrity attendees(names like Scott Baio and Ted Nugent come to mind) even called Hillary Clinton a **** in taped/televised interviews.
Why was that okay?

Oh, I almost forgot. Because.

Because Trump has decided that this is how things will be, and Trump is above the law. He’s The Great Leader. He’s America’s reigning demagogue. He’s our new god. And everyone else in this country is just another ****.