You don't dis the dead
posted 2007/05/15 at 15:52
Television evangelist Falwell dies at 73 (AP via Yahoo! News)Although I don't have any clear memories of the Moral Majority back when it was in its prime, I think it's safe to say that I had to live through its repercussions. Surely the rise of televangelism and overall social conservatism in the 1980s can trace its roots back to the groundwork Falwell and the Moral Majority laid when I was but a wee one. Falwell was undoubtedly a great architect of social change in America in my lifetime, even if right now Pat Robertson seems, at least in my perception, a more visible and current figure in that regard.
My strongest memories of Falwell actually come from the frequent appearances he made on Politically Incorrect back in the show's nascence on Comedy Central. This was back when my hatred of right-wing figureheads was at its peak, so I was always a bit discomforted when Falwell came on. However, looking back, even if I disagree vehemently with the ideas and notions that Falwell espoused, I have to admit that he was a rather genial person. He wouldn't be afraid to voice his opinion on Politically Incorrect -- likely one of the main reason Bill Maher kept inviting him back on -- but at the same time, when someone from the left said something mean or nasty, Falwell didn't start into the whole fire-and-brimstone thing. If he didn't actually respect people opposed to his worldview, at the very least he did an exceptional job of hiding that fact. Heck, when Falwell wanted to he could crack some secular jokes that were, I have to admit, kind of funny. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to have been friends with the man, but I think we could have had a nice and civil dinner together if we'd wanted to.
I guess I'm thinking back on this aspect of Falwell because I'm still concerned with the seeming inability of many Democrats to stop taking themselves so seriously. In the past couple of weeks I've seen John McCain go on The Daily Show and Mike Huckabee go on The Colbert Report, and in both cases I think they made tremendous showings for themselves. Even knowing that they were going into what could be considered hostile territory given the general viewership of both shows, and especially given the huge act that Stephen Colbert puts on his show, both McCain and Huckabee were able to go on, do some playful jousting with the hosts that drew genuine laughter from the studio audience (and in Huckabee's case made it clear that he was "in on the act" with Colbert), have a respectful conversation with the host, and most importantly they were able to articulate political, social, and religious views that were in opposition to the general demographic of both shows, but still do so in a way that elicited few boos and catcalls from the audience, and made it hard not to respect them for having both the courage to go on these shows and the sense of humour to joke around about themselves with the hosts.
For all that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are supposed to be these big left-wing bastions, it often seems like Republicans like McCain and Huckabee and others are the ones who "get" how to act on these shows, while big-name Democrats never seem to appear on them and some of them, like Nancy Pelosi, are actively discouraging other Democrats from appearing at least on Colbert's show. In some ways I think that Falwell really showed his fellow conservatives how to "play the game" with his appearances on Politically Incorrect back in the day. This isn't to excuse all the abhorrent things he said and did in his public career, but at this moment I'd rather not think about that aspect of Falwell. Right now, as odd as it feels, I'd like to remember the Reverend Falwell who could sit across from some twenty-something popular culture star spewing out a long line of obscenities and invective at him, and somehow manage to keep a warm smile on his face.
Kevin at 17/5/07 08:22: