Something’s been bugging me since seeing the Springsteen/Fallon video and the response to it here.
I generally have no trouble viewing the typical comedy thrashing of politicians (Daily Show etc…), and get a good deal of satisfaction regularly reading Daily Kos.
This situation with the Springsteen video stands out for me as being different and I’ve been struggling to figure out why. Accusations are mounting up pretty high about Christie being a bully and using his considerable power in ways that disregard serious impacts on others.
And yet… what do we get by using someone’s love of anything, in this case an artist’s music, in a way that is reasonably known to be hurtful? The main answer to that here seems to be that giving a bully a taste of their own medicine is useful in some way. OK, let’s say for the moment that’s accurate. I think an interesting question is what else could Springsteen have done that might have had a more meaningful impact?
Read More