Lesbian Vampire

Oh, no, no, Rachel, no.

I watched the podcast (a day late as usual) of the Rachel Maddow show from Friday, September 17. The film clip ("The Shocking Truth About Rachel Maddow")of the redneck guy denouncing you for being an out lesbian and very probably also a closeted vampire was very funny, of course, but it made me uneasy, because I knew the guy couldn’t be for real. Where did this fairly obvious plant come from? thinks I, and is Rachel’s show in on the deception, or not? Much as I admire your work, I admit I felt a qualm. Unless the podcast somehow differed from the live show, the source of the final segment was not identified in any way, neither by Rachel nor by the speaker in the video. That’s a dangerous habit on a news show, a real news show, something that fits in quite a different category from, on the one hand, Stewart or Colbert, and on the other hand anything broadcast by Fox….



I’ve since learned that the persona of “Billy Bob Neck” is the creation of comedian Paul Day. So, whew, I don’t need to fear for the Maddow show’s integrity. This was satire, and intended—??—I guess—to be recognized immediately as satire. Though it would have helped if you hadn’t clipped off the beginning of the video where Day says “This is Billy Bob Neck…” The outrageous name, along with the exaggerated accent and mannerisms, might have been just enough to clue in all reasonably savvy viewers. But as it is, a significant percentage of the commenters on the Maddow Blog clearly took the performance straight: “Another Tea Tard trying to 'think'!” and “He is what he is, bless his heart.”

Rachel, you have to be careful. You’re an important cultural voice now. Vice presidents speak to you. Right-wingers campaign for public office as if they were running against you: this is evidence that you’re making a difference in the political landscape. Don’t jeopardize that for a lark. Sure, be news with humor, news with lively commentary, news grounded in a particular perspective, but don’t do anything that’ll make it easier for people outside your most devoted base to see you as simply the mirror-image on the left of the distortion machine on the right. After the ACORN smear, after the Sherrod fiasco, surely it’s clear that high-minded progressives need to avoid even the appearance of impropriety in how video clips are presented? Otherwise, there goes the center-right and center (if anyone is still in the center): You see? they’ll say. Both sides are equally extreme, equally biased, and take equally cheap shots. And since it’s now been established that no one at all can be trusted to hold accurate reporting as a higher value than their short-term political agenda, then we might as well just tune in to whatever panders most effectively to our current feelings.

What I’m saying: don’t give your detractors any ammunition. I hope when I watch Monday’s podcast (on Tuesday), I’ll hear you say “Just in case some of the viewers didn’t get the joke, the “lesbian vampire” guy is comedian Paul Day….” I know, you did it on the blog. But that’s not enough.