Sunday Morning Post (V.1; #11) – So These Two Anarchists Walk Into A Bar...

The White House Correspondents Dinner announced this past week that the evening entertainment for this year’s dinner would not be a comedian du jour as in the more recent past.  Instead, a historian will give the keynote speech to the collective audience of journalists.  Oh boy!  I can hardly wait for the video clip highlights of the dinner the next morning.

We may be treated to such bon mots as:

“So, Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman walk into a bar…”

And I don’t have a punch line for this, which is just as well as the whole thing would probably end up sounding like the obscure references from an old Dennis Miller schtick.  

Or how about: “Hey, what’s with all of these countries converting from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing economy in the 19th century?   What the heck was that all about?”

Or: “Hey Beethoven!  Lighten up!"

These examples confirm my suspicion that the words “history” and “entertainment” should not be uttered in the same sentence.

Don’t get me wrong: I love history.  It’s been my favorite subject since childhood when I would associate all sorts of dates with famous events.  I would learn what had happened in our past, but not necessarily why it happened.  The why would be learned much later when I was old enough to realize that most of mankind’s motives for their actions originate from someplace below the belt.

I can see where others might shy away from the subject once it drifted from the important dates to remember so that we would all grow up to be good (read: obedient), civic-minded American citizens.  I’d be willing to bet that many people believe most historical facts were just pain-in-the-ass tidbits of trivia that helped lower their test scores in school.  This is sad, because history is the on-going story of how civilization came to be and exist as we are today.

In past years, the sitting President of the United States would sit at a place of honor where they may be gently kidded for their actions, unlike the traditional no-holds barred entertainment at the annual Gridiron Dinner.  The current President has yet to attend the Correspondents Dinner since he suffers from Thin-skin-itis, and is unable to endure any witticisms aimed at his ego.  As for the Gridiron Dinner?  He didn’t attend that one either a few weeks ago.  He sent his daughter, a grrl who obviously has more cajones than her Old Man.

Rest assured, the President will spend the evening of the Correspondent’s Dinner with his loved ones: i.e., his base who never tire of feeding his insatiable ego.  Just as well.  This year’s dinner may turn out to be a snooze fest.

(Thank you for reading. Okay kids, here’s your Google list of the week: Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, Dennis Miller, and schtick.)