Kathy Griffin has Beheaded Her Career

Kathy Griffin, a comedian and co-host of CNN�s New Year�s Eve special, recently appeared in a video displaying the severed head of our President, drenched in blood. It�s a disturbing video and is certainly appalling. Was it supposed to be funny? Was it supposed to be a political statement? Was it a desperate plea for attention? Perhaps it was a combination of all three of those possibilities.

            I find it hard to believe that at no point in the production and execution (ba-dum-tss) of this video that somebody involved did not think that it was a bad idea. What could possibly go wrong when you hold up the bloodied head of our nation�s leader and provide no explanation? But really, did nobody think to tell Griffin that this video was going to cause outrage?

            Maybe she made the video to cause outrage and attention. And that she did. But it was not the outrage that she was expecting. I think she intended to anger supporters of Donald Trump and in turn gain the support and admiration of his opposition. She tried to start a brush fire but ended up causing a forest fire. For a few hours, she rode the wave of controversy possibly because she thought that the video�s criticisms were only coming from the right. She tweeted, �There was blood coming out of his eyes. There was blood coming out of his� wherever.�

            That tweet was deleted a few hours later as the scale of the videos reception came to light. The president attacked her on Twitter. Anderson Cooper, her co-host on the CNN New Year�s Eve special, called the photoshoot, �disgusting and clearly inappropriate.� And just a few hours ago, she was fired by CNN. She is currently under investigation by the Secret Service.

            This is great ammunition for the right. It solidifies their narrative that liberals are monsters with no morals. Griffin made an attention-seeking, bad choice. But she is an outlier; just like the man who killed two people and stabbed a man trying to intervene after he harassed two Muslim women on a train in Portland last week. They do not represent the left and right. But there are people who blame Donald Trump�s rhetoric for the actions of that murderer and CNN for employing Griffin and giving her a platform. Donald Trump did not make Jeremy Christian a white supremacist nor did CNN influence Griffin in making that video.

            This is not the first time that a celebrity has made treasonous statements towards the President. In 2012, rocker Ted Nugent said that, �I will either be dead or in jail,� when asked how he would react if President Obama won his re-election. He, like Griffin, was investigated by the Secret Service for that remark. Interestingly enough, Nugent was invited to dinner at the White House a few months ago.

            Public figures are prone to making controversial statements and acting controversially. Sometimes, these actions are justified and supportable. Jesse Williams, actor on Grey�s Anatomy, sparked controversy last year at the BET Awards when he made a speech about racial inequality and police brutality. That was good controversy. Ted Nugent and Kathy Griffin created bad controversy. I think celebrities and public figures need to consult the words of John Lewis before making political statements and using their influence to spread their beliefs. Lewis, the famous civil rights activist, is known for saying, �Get into good trouble.� I think influential figures and all people need to keep this advice in mind before committing brash and ignorant political stunts.

            I will be out of town for the next three weeks. But have no fear, my blogging will continue at its regular pace. So, if something crazy happens in the next three weeks, I apologize for not covering it. That�s all for this week.