I’ll admit that I chuckle now and then when I accidentally view one of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologues. His writers are hilarious. I realize that his jokes cause meltdowns of enormous proportions, especially when he ridicules the Trump administration, but that’s politics these days. Late night television has always addressed politics on some level. I’ve always viewed the jokes as relatively nonpartisan. Jabs were occasionally thrown into monologues in previous administrations, but nothing like the hostility that exists today.
Jimmy Kimmel went after First Lady Melania Trump by mocking her accent during his opening monologue. I’m a firm believer that family members of any public servant should be off-limits in terms of attacks. There has been an incredible amount of cynicism heaped onto the first lady. She’s in a lose/lose position because of her husband’s politics. No matter what initiative she takes or cause she supports, there will always be millions of trolls accusing her of being disingenuous. Melania Trump can’t even read a book to hospitalized children without crazy liberals accusing her of holding the book wrong.
https://youtu.be/EfjtBa3INBw
Sadly, we live in a world full of double standards. When did it become okay to mock the way someone speaks English in the United States? There would be hell to pay if a television personality mocked the accent of an immigrant from Mexico or any Middle Eastern country. Melania Trump has said she speaks over five languages. She found success on her own prior to becoming the First Lady, and Mrs. Trump for that matter. She is a naturalized citizen of the United States. Mrs. Trump performs traditional First Lady duties and makes public appearances.
What most people need to realize is that Michelle Obama was a lawyer and much of her professional expertise was brought into the White House during President Obama’s tenure. Although not an attorney, Melania Trump is successful in her own right.
Media outlets and social media users scrutinize details right down to Melania Trump’s choice in footwear. Heaven forbid she wear high heels or labels. She also receives backlash over her anti-bullying initiative, which focuses on children. Apparently, the first lady is ineligible for championing an end to bullying among children because people don’t like her husband’s social media posts.
The political climate has become so toxic that many US citizens feel compelled to hide their opinions and beliefs out of fear. Even Democrats who agree with certain elements of President Trump’s politics receive backlash. In a sense, the American public has been cyberbullying Melania Trump ever since her husband took office.
Jimmy Kimmel often pushes the envelope with his jokes. Ridiculing the first lady for something she can’t control is disgusting. Sadly, I don’t think we’re likely to see a campaign calling on Kimmel to apologize or his advertisers to jump ship.
Of course, certain groups of people truly believe that they can do no wrong. The holier-than-thou attitude extends to every part of the United States, especially large liberal areas. It’s okay to make fun of an immigrant’s accent, but you have to hate President Trump or else it’s just plain racist. That is the type of logic that led to Hillary Clinton becoming the Democratic candidate.
