We needed to feed our battered souls after the Lions loss, so we turned on SNL, and caught Dave Chappelle’s monologue. I am and have been a fan of SNL for as long as I can remember. As a writer and a theatre fan, I enjoy live entertainment and stellar script writing. Per usual, the cold open was hilarious and considering what we are embarking on in 24 hours, the nation will certainly need a good belly laugh as often as possible!
Dave came on to kick off the new year! Lorne knew exactly who to call for this mission. Dave has unique characteristics embedded in his comedic writing. He is acutely aware of the plight of your average person’s struggles, while also being well-versed in Planet Hollywood’s slippery slope of success. He also has great timing and a sharp delivery, and this was all on display last night. He’s good at pulling oppositions together by roasting both, creating less space between them. His style aims at those imperfections, leveling the playing field by articulating that no one is perfect. This concept stands from the lowest of us, all the way up to the top! We are in fact human, therefore fallible.
It is vital to remain mindful of this fact, because we are witnessing a current movement in this nation that is championing a facade of falsehoods, under the guise of “free thinking” but there is nothing free about misleading people into dangerous mediocrity. I say mediocrity because if we only used opinions and feelings and AI derived click-bates to better our think tanks, we are embarking on a waste of time and resources. We are also setting our young people up for failure by convincing them that everything they think is verified. This is not how data-driven processes work. This effort does not hold people accountable, it creates a misconception of data-driven efforts because it omits the necessary vetting from the data. Essentially, the movement supports and perpetuates stupidity. Nevertheless, I personally believe this is purposefully constructed, much like the dark ages.
Dave closed on the subject of empathy at a time when people lack it and in a world where people seem to dismiss it. Still, it is how the world has evolved. We observe those less fortunate, and try to imagine their journey. We put ourselves in their shoes, if just for a brief moment in order to understand their plight. Even if we don’t agree with their response to this plight, we work to understand. Dave is keen on how empathizing shrinks that space between us. His eye witness account of former President Carter’s visit to Israel, and the gaza strip brought tears to my eyes. Dave is spot on! Our leaders need to do better! We all need to do better! I will take this next 4 years to focus on doing better and living better. It is the guiding light love provides, and love is always better!
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