These days, politics and pop culture seem practically inseparable. Politicians regularly make the late night talk show rounds along with celebrities (John McCain's most recent appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" preceded an appearance by Amber Tamblyn, who apparently is an actress or something), and millions of teenagers and young adults get the majority of their political news from political comedy shows, such as "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." But the most influential aspect of this merging of politics and pop culture over the past 30 years has been "Saturday Night Live."
From its very first season, SNL has altered the political landscape through farce and mostly top-notch impressions. Even though Chevy Chase's Gerald Ford was a completely terrible impression (he didn't even attempt to alter his looks or voice), Chase managed to take one or two instances of clumsiness by the President and turned it into his defining characteristic through a series of dramatic falls and stumbles on the show. This was the first - and still one of the most important - instances of SNL shaping national politics. In his response to Chevy Chase's impression, Gerald Ford also shaped the way politicians should react to SNL's political satire. He laughed along with everyone else as Chase made him into a fool, even making a couple appearances on the show. In fact, in Ford's obituary, Chevy Chase's impression was mentioned.
Since that notable first impression, SNL has enjoyed a rich history of noteworthy political humor that often shapes the politican's image in the public's mind more than the actual politician does. The most recent example, of course, is Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin, which has been receiving an insane amount of press. Fey has managed to turn Palin into more or less an idiot who simply pretends to know what she is talking about while relying on pre-scripted talking points. The most important part of Fey's sketches is that many of her lines are actual quotes of Sarah Palin's, which are blended seamlessly with made-up quotes until the lines between satire and truth are completely blurred. Through her impression, Fey may have completely destroyed Palin's crafted image and credibility in the public's eye.
And now, because it's so entertaining, here is one of Tina Fey's appearances as Sarah Palin:
Although it is clear that SNL has had an impact on shaping the image of politicians over the past 30 years, it's hard to say whether that impact is positive or negative. Granted, SNL and other political comedy shows have brought politics to a level of public awareness that was once unprecedented, but they also have helped to reduce the political process to a series of caricatures. These days, many people base their vote on trivial things, such as which candidate is more likable, or who Oprah tells them to vote for. This has gotten more people to vote and get involved in the political process, but whether or not that end result is worth the lack of substance is up for you to decide.
And now, one more video. This time, a classic:
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