(More about the picture with the Deputy Swedish Prime Minister and her all female onlookers may be found here! Great picture! Great MESSAGE!)
The word verarschen is German, and it refers to the popular activity of making fun (literally making an ass of someone, usually through mockery) of someone. Clearly, opportunity for that has escalated dramatically since 1/20.
Many years ago my Mom was watching tv and a little SNL skit was shown featuring Martin Short. In it, he played a synchronized swimming partner. He was hilarious in the role!
After watching that, the Summer Olympics sport was ruined for her forever, as she could never watch the athletes in the pool without seeing Martin Short’s mockery.
More below.
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I thought about that Saturday after seeing Melissa McCarthy’s stunning turn as Sean Spicer. She absolutely ripped it! A skit for the ages!
My hope is that the McCarthy skit will do for Spicer what Martin Short did for synchronized swimming with my Mom, and that no one will be able to look at him again without seeing Melissa McCarthy with her supersoaker and a juicy turd. It’s better than he deserves. (Even SE Cupp acknowledges he has a ‘Melissa McCarthy problem.’ She hopes he handles it with humor and aplomb, I hope he fails and flails, following his boss’s example.)
Of course, everyone in that administration has come in for the verarschen treatment. Alec Baldwin has been doing yeoman’s work trolling Drumpf, Kate McKinnon has been hitting Kellyanne Conway (and, in the McCarthy skit, the utterly unqualified Betsy DeVos), a skeletal grim reaper mocks Steve Bannon, and much more is to come.
Other ‘countries’ have gotten into the act. Mocking our idiot-in-chief.
The Netherlands verarsches Drumpf.
Switzerland verarsches Drumpf.
Germany verarsches Drumpf.
(And there are more of those!)
For me the deeper truth is that this phenomenon is happening because the Incompetent-in-Chief is not WORTHY of respect, because he is not deserving of respect, and, mostly, because (as his reactions to Baldwin demonstrate) he can’t NOT react, he can’t laugh, he can’t be an adult about … anything, really.
Of course, anyone can be subject to verarschen. In the skit below, former President Barack Obama was given the verarschen treatment by Daniel Day Lewis, at the behest of Steven Spielberg. Daniel Day Lewis did a remarkable job in the impersonation. (A little known fact is, Daniel Day Lewis played ALL the roles in the video, Spielberg, Obama AND Joe Biden!)
Goddamn I miss him. Having an adult in the office makes all the difference. The most staggering contrast of my lifetime.
On to tonight’s comments!
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From MikeTheLiberal:
Is this Top Comment by Angela Marx, utilizing the most accurate hashtag for the new occupant at the White House.
From Village Vet:
Top Mojo ala mik!
For Sunday, February 5, 2017, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on the subject.
2017-02-06, courtesy of jotter!