Prom is presented as a treat for graduating students. The administration makes it clear that you
only get to attend prom if you are passing all your classes and don’t get
suspended. Graduation I was told is for
the parents, while prom is for the students.
Prom is a privilege, not a guarantee.
This brings us to the White House Correspondence’s Dinner which is
otherwise known as “Nerd Prom”. Here all
the people in the news media get to dress to the nines and dine with
celebrities while watching the president and a top notch comedian shoot barbs at
the political and media scene. From the
looks of the whole gathering, “nerd prom” sounds like quite a scene. But as previously mentioned prom is a privilege,
not a right. So why does the media get
to celebrate themselves with celebrities and comedians when they obviously do
not deserve it?
When was the last time you saw something from a news network
that actually made a positive difference?
When was the last time a journalist from one of the big three or from
one of the cable news behemoths did something worthy of admiration and not of
scorn or mockery? These guys do a
terrible job and the proof of this is that Jon Stewart is considered the most
trusted “newsman” in America. It’s come
to us praising a topical comedian, a brilliant one albeit, over real news people. Think about the accomplishments of the two
competing sides of late. Jon Stewart
helped to get the 9/11 1st Responders Bill passed through Congress
while the news media covered what was being said on Twitter. Jon Stewart rallied against the reporting on
the 2008 financial crises while the news media just sat there and took the side
of Wall Street. Where was the 4th
estate on that one? Today Jon Stewart
isn’t the main go to for news anymore; it’s another comedian John Oliver. Last
Week Tonight with John Oliver has garnered more praise and hit on more
stories than the media ever cares to cover.
He goes deep into a story and doesn’t play to corporate interests. He is a comedian doing a better job at
journalism than the people who went to school for it. If anything he should be at “nerd prom” while
the rest of these phonies should be at home sulking over the terrible job they’ve
been doing.
The media doesn’t deserve a night of celebration because they
suck. They don’t deserve to get roasted
by comedians like Cecily Strong, Joel McHale, or Conan O’Brien because a roast
implies some level of respect between the participants. Watching the speeches of these comedians is
great because they obviously don’t like the people they are roasting, similar to
watching the roasts of Justin Bieber or Donald Trump. The comedians have been following in the vein
of Stephen Colbert and just taking it to our fourth estate and their lack of
vigilance. For that I enjoy “nerd prom”
because it reminds me of Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes. It’s good when those in a bubble are forced
to confront the fact that not everything they do is gold. I enjoy seeing the rich and powerful squirm
and get offended over a few jokes. So I have
nothing but praise for these comedians because they are doing a great service
in my mind. Plus it’s impossible to follow
the performance that was Stephen Colbert in 2006. Nothing will ever top that speech but I
welcome those who try.
In conclusion, unless the press corps decides to do a better
job they should not be allowed to have nerd prom. You have to earn prom and so far nothing I’ve
seen these journalists is anywhere close to earning a glamorous night out with
celebrities who are only there to be seen.
In short I close with this new rule from Bill Maher who sums up my
disgust with the news best:
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