David Cross, one of my favorite comedians (along with Mitch Hedberg and George Carlin) has recently responded to the decidedly unfunny Larry the Cable Guy, who attempted in his book to take David to task for being part of “the politically correct police.” Cross, though, pretty much hit the nail on the head:

He’s good at what he does. It’s a lot of anti-gay, racist humor–which people like in America–all couched in ‘I’m telling it like it is.’ He’s in the right place at the right time for that gee-shucks, proud-to-be-a-redneck, I’m-just-a-straight-shooter-multimillionaire-in-cutoff-flannel, selling-ring tones-act. That’s where we are as a nation now. We’re in a state of vague American values and anti-intellectual pride.

Incidentally, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anybody to learn that the whole “Larry the Cable Guy” persona is only an act.

Comments (5)

5 Responses to “Anti-Intellectual Pride”:

• Comment by Mark J. at 7:52 pm on December 7, 2006

  “We’re in a state of vague American values and anti-intellectual pride.”

  Ain’t that the truth.

• Comment by Mark J. at 12:05 pm on December 11, 2006

  There was a segment on 60 Minutes (which I didn’t watch) questioning why ultimate fighting shows are becoming so popular. My mind immediately snapped back to this post.

• Comment by Mark P. at 12:00 pm on December 28, 2006

  Git-r-done!!! I always enjoyed the Blue Collar TV. As for the ‘a state of vague American values and anti-intellectual pride’, morality has been on the decline in this country especially since the 1990s. I can’t believe some of the stuff they can get away with on TV these days. You would have never seen that 16 years ago. All the violence and smut.

• Comment by mike at 1:49 pm on December 30, 2006

  According to whose sense of morality has there been a decline?

• Comment by Mark J. at 7:16 pm on January 1, 2007

  Grouping violence with smut is missing the point of both.