By Scott Hartley
“Megyn Kelly will not return to NBC’s ‘Today’ show following blackface controversy.” Let’s just hope she isn’t banished to a S__H__ country. I was not a fan, actually never saw her show, but carefully watched the offending segment just this minute, streaming from YouTube. I think the headline came out of a box, selected by a robot, or worse, by a PR hack.
For those reluctant to do the Google search, I’ll report that the segment is just over 11 minutes, and the comments in question occur in the first five. Kelly makes a report of fact, that blackface was occasionally worn for Halloween in her childhood, which would have been late 1970s, early ’80s, and that at that time such a display needed to be done with respect. She also remarked on a costume worn by a specific person, who appeared as Diana Ross, using makeup to simulate the complexion. She said, “Who doesn’t love Diana Ross?” I guess she failed to note the contemporary American malady: “Who doesn’t take offense at something?”
Considering that Halloween has existed from the middle ages, or some would even say, from ancient times, as an occasion to mimic and ridicule taboos, to mock at death especially, and to play pranks and disrespect authority, then Halloween actually fails its mission if it doesn’t offend someone.
I’m reminded that much of America spent much of 2016 fine-tuning their standard of political correctness to purge any vestiges of microaggressions from university-speak, then in a reactive paroxysm of fury, elected a demonic nightmare to high office, a truly S__H__ executive with an inveterate grudge against Kelly. I suggest that NBC is a cadre of hypocrites, who care nothing about racial harmony, but seek only to cull a program with depressed ratings and curry favor with a POTUS, whose reliable delivery of outrage sells lots of sponsor beer and Chevys.
If I were King of the Forest,
I’d replace her with NBC’s Joy Reid.
How do like them apples?