Why I Am Troubled
As I’ve stated, I try to stay out of politics here.
And I don’t think what I’m about to discuss violates that, at least not exactly. I’ve seen people from the left and the right speaking out about the Jimmy Kimmel situation.
Look, anybody can get fired. When you work for somebody, and they don’t like the work you’re doing, they have no obligation to put up with you. I’ve been fired. I was fired when I wrote the Dick Tracy strip largely because the editor (not the editor who hired me but his replacement) did not like my work and did not like me, and also because the Tribune Syndicate wanted to save money by using a staffer and not a freelancer.
That was unfair, obviously, but I always knew that could happen. I had a five-year contract that was renewed for another five years twice. It was a good run and a good paycheck.
So in that sense, what happened to Jimmy Kimmel is not a freedom of speech issue. ABC hired him, ABC can fire him (or suspend him or whatever). What is dangerous – what is wrong – is the way the FCC muscled ABC into getting rid of Kimmel. The FCC – backed by taxpayer money, which is to say you and me – was pursuing a political agenda. With ABC and Disney trying to get the FCC to approve a merger (that breaks the FCC’s rules), the actions of the FCC are strictly straight out of the Mafia playbook – it’s the protection racket, in a sense, and it’s authoritarianism adjacent (at least). “You can do it the easy way or the hard way,” a thug says.
Anyone working in the world of media can now be punished for having the wrong opinion. This potentially can extend beyond talk show hosts to the newsrooms and then to movies and books and even comic books.
I am not someone who watched Jimmy Kimmel. When Letterman retired, I decided I had better things to do than watch the ephemera that was late night talk shows. I might prefer to read or watch something else (an old movie maybe or even a new one) or work or even go to bed. I appear to have gotten older and now run out of steam sooner.
But this is troubling. It goes beyond Democrat and Republican into American. And other than to speak up – while I can – I don’t know what the hell to do about it beyond cancel Disney Plus, which I have.
The only other thing available to me is speaking out here. If I’ve offended anybody, I welcome them to object in the comments. But first I’ll remind them that the First Amendment allows us all to have our opinions, smart or stupid, in agreement or disagreement.
For now.
M.A.C.
NOTE: The above was written before the Kimmel situation changed (somewhat).
Let’s ask George Carlin what his opinion is:
