"It all depends on Tuesday night, when we see if Kimmel returns undaunted, or if he has been subdued. Of all the consequential, crazy, frightening events that have taken place in recent days, Kimmel's return should be a moment we all watch - a real-time, late-night look at how successful our president is at forcing us to censor ourselves through fear."
"If Kimmel tempers his comedy now, pulls his punches on making fun of power, he sends the message that we should all be afraid, that we should all bend. Maybe he didn't sign up for this, but here he is - a person in a position of influence being forced to make a risky choice between safety and country. That sounds terribly dramatic, I know, but self-censorship is the heart of authoritarianism."
Jimmy Kimmel is returning to late-night television, creating a real-time test of whether comedians will mock presidential power without fear. The return will show whether Kimmel appears undaunted or subdued and will reveal how successful the president has been at forcing self-censorship through fear. If a celebrity with clout, wealth and influence cannot stand up to intimidation, the chilling effect will reach ordinary people. Self-censorship is presented as the heart of authoritarianism. Patriotism used to be simple, but has been masticated and barfed out by the MAGA movement into a specific gruel.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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