Episode Review: Samantha Bee Gives Us All the Hot Poop

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For an old fogey like your narrator, the word poop has always had a secondary slang definition of news or information. In that regard, the host of Full Frontal’s April 11th broadcast certainly did that, as she generally does, with a decidedly comedic slant.

The first of her three segments was on the subject of super delegates. To my delight, but not really my surprise, she was actually for them, which is sort of a rare happenstance, given the format of her show.

She provided some extensive and actually useful background about how both major American parties decided to replace the old “smoke-filled room,” where cynical party hacks decided who would be the nominee for a given election. As undemocratic as that process sounds, it was not altogether horrible. Obviously, the insiders in each party wanted their pick to win, so they were not going to put anyone too absolutely ridiculous to be considered for consideration. Of course, back then, they tended to operate on the now scornfully discredited theory that the majority of the voting public had at least a lick of common sense.

Ms. Bee then added that, after some disastrous choices put forward by the people in the noble exercise of their franchise (Sorry George and Michael, but, well, you know…), the powers that were within the Democratic Party decided to give at least a slight nod to the old smoke-filled room. Except, these days, you can’t smoke indoors anywhere, so maybe we should call it the vapor-filled room and move on. She also pointed out that, during the short history of the super delegates, they have not ever thwarted the voters’ choices, but they do stand in reserve to function as an agent for buyer’s remorse if the party faithful collectively realize they fumbled the ball somewhere during the primary process, unlikely as that would ever be to happen (Ahem.).

Her last bit—OK, but certainly the least interesting of the three segments—was a comparison of the promiscuous way that the NRA fosters gun ownership, contrasted with the rigid vigilance they apply to protecting the image of their mascot (and no, I am not kidding), Eddie the Eagle. Eddie’s function seems to be that of visiting grade schools and sternly lecturing the children not to fool around with the guns their parents have left lying around the house. And who says the NRA doesn’t care about all those hundreds and hundreds of dead and wounded toddlers?

It was in her second segment that Samantha Bee gave us the hot poop in both senses of the word. The segment was about diapers—something some people who have never changed a baby might consider too trivial to bother with. Yet, even such a simple concept, that infants who are not yet capable of operating a toilet should have access to clean diapers, no matter what the economic position of the families they were born into should happen to be; even this simple idea seems to be a subject of controversy.

I will show you the whole segment in the link below, but, as you might suppose, the “haves” are opposed to providing any assistance with the not inconsiderable cost of diapers, while the “have-nots” would like a little help. By the way, this is not a trivial expense. The general rule of thumb is that getting your baby potty trained is the financial equivalent of paying off the note on your car.

Anyway, I will let you enjoy the segment with only one spoiler beforehand, because it is something I have been saying about the conservative mind-set for decades. These same people, who rant and rage against providing assistance to poor peoples’ children, are just as strident about denying those same poor people any number of reasonable ways to reduce the number of children they have to cope with. Birth control? Planned Parenthood? Abortion? All of them abominations fostered to the small extent they are on the right-thinking public by dastardly liberals whose only desire is to sell America down the river. (My words, not Ms. Bee’s).

As the vast dearth of people who constitute my readership know, if I think Samantha Bee did less than the stellar job we have come to expect of her, I will shout it from the rooftops. Wait, let me amend that—I have a thing about heights—how about from the curbtops? In the case of this most recent show, there is no reason to shout, just to watch.

Full Frontal, TBS, April 11, 2016

 

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Thomas Cleveland Lane

Thomas Cleveland Lane is a semi-retired freelance writer for pay and a stage actor for nothing more than the opportunity to make a fool of himself. Well, he does get a small stipend from the Washington Area Decency League, after playing the role of Hinezie in The Pajama Game, to never, ever appear on stage in his underpants again. When he has not managed to buffalo some director into casting him, Thomas can often be found at his favorite piano bar, annoying the patrons with his caterwauling. Thomas is the author of an anthology called Shaggy Dogs, a Collection of Not-So-Short Stories (destined to become a cult classic, shortly after he croaks). He is also the alter-ego to a very unbalanced Czech poet named Glub Dzmc. Mr. Lane generally resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was last seen in the mirror, three days ago.
Thomas Cleveland Lane
Thomas Cleveland Lane
Thomas Cleveland Lane is a semi-retired freelance writer for pay and a stage actor for nothing more than the opportunity to make a fool of himself. Well, he does get a small stipend from the Washington Area Decency League, after playing the role of Hinezie in The Pajama Game, to never, ever appear on stage in his underpants again. When he has not managed to buffalo some director into casting him, Thomas can often be found at his favorite piano bar, annoying the patrons with his caterwauling. Thomas is the author of an anthology called Shaggy Dogs, a Collection of Not-So-Short Stories (destined to become a cult classic, shortly after he croaks). He is also the alter-ego to a very unbalanced Czech poet named Glub Dzmc. Mr. Lane generally resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was last seen in the mirror, three days ago.