During his monologue last Sunday, Stephen Colbert pulled his Trumpcard (literally) and allowed Sean Spicer to come rolling on stage imitating Melissa McCarthy’s Saturday Night Live skits. Spicer giggled as he bragged about the size of the Emmy’s crowd, which was “way bigger than Trump’s inauguration” he said. The camera panned to celebrities’ shocked faces and their open laughter. Initially, Spicer’s appearance seemed like a hit, but over the days following, celebrities, politicians, and civilians came out to say they were insulted by his mockery.
The Emmy skit was intended to mimic Spicer’s initial statement that Donald Trump’s inauguration drew “the biggest crowd ever, period.” If that had been the only controversial statement that Spicer let loose during the past nine months, then maybe the skit would not have opened up a path for so much anger and resentment. Unfortunately, during his time as Press Secretary, Sean Spicer acted as a puppet for the White House, blatantly defending the president’s actions and talking incomprehensible circles around the public—proving he was a perfect fit for the job.
His boastful claim about the inauguration was not the worst of it. Throughout Trump’s presidency, Spicer defended the Muslim Ban, changed his mind to say it was “extreme vetting”, only to call it a ban once again. He also verbally assaulted reporters, telling them “calm down” or wait their turn; stated that Hitler never used chemical weapons or gas during World War II, effectively defending the Holocaust; and spoke up for Trump over issues such as the Russian controversy. Oh, and let’s not forget the time when he hid in the bushes to hide from reporters.
The concern is not that Sean Spicer came on stage to mock himself; the question is, why does he get a free pass? Spicer has distracted the public from Donald Trump’s heinous statements and actions time and time again, yet there are no repercussions for him. He has perpetuated racism, bigotry, and hatred, but Spicer can walk on a stage, make one joke, and be forgiven for all the pain he has second-handedly (and single-handedly) caused? I think not.
Spicer’s actions have mocked America and everything we stand for. By silencing reporters, he not only showed extreme amounts of immaturity but also insulted our First Amendment right to freedom of the press. In his defense of Trump’s Muslim Ban, he allowed racism and xenophobia to become a mockery. In everything he did during his time at the White House, he highlighted the incompetence of our current government.
The real question we should be asking ourselves is why are we normalizing this behavior? How can we spend a year criticizing Sean Spicer and then forget everything the minute he makes a joke about himself? Are we, as American citizens, really going to be so blind that we forgive bigotry the minute it’s out of our sight? As we go forward, it’s necessary that we hold people accountable for what they say and make sure the world doesn’t forget the damage they caused. Or else, who knows, we may be forgiving Trump next.
Whether or not Spicer meant everything he said as Press Secretary is irrelevant. He had a platform and he used it to promote our President’s racist agenda instead of standing up against hatred.
One joke should not be able to erase that.