There’s really no one right now who embodies the concept of “smug liberal” quite like Jimmy Kimmel. In addition to lecturing Americans on gun control and healthcare, Kimmel now seems to believe that he knows why there aren’t conservative talk show hosts.
“It just so happens that almost every talk show host is a liberal and that’s because it requires a level of intelligence,” the former host of The Man Show was quoted as saying at an event on Saturday.
Keep in mind that this is the same man who responded to criticisms of government-funded health care by saying, “I would like to apologize for saying that children in America should have health care. It was insensitive, it was offensive, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” which suggests he lacks the mental might to tell the difference between Obamacare and health care in general.
Also keep in mind that this is a man who tried to blame “gun nuts” for the Las Vegas attack, indicating he lacks the intelligence to tell the difference between people who actually pull the trigger and people who don’t.
The fact is that Jimmy Kimmel is proof that intelligence isn’t a job requirement when it comes to being a talk show host. In addition to the above examples, this is a man who is content to blow off a large portion of the American viewing public simply because of their politics. There’s no way that’s smart, no matter how you cut it.
Basically, talk show hosts only require enough intelligence to hold a civil conversation with a guest. This isn’t rocket science. Noted anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy managed to do the gig as a co-host on “The View,” so I’m willing to bet the job doesn’t really require Stephen Hawking-like brainpower.
Look, I get it. No one wants to be thought of as dumb. Not only that, but I suspect the job looks a whole lot easier from the outside than it really is.
That said, let’s not delude ourselves. A talking orangutan could probably serve as a talk show host. After all, as noted above, Jenny McCarthy did it.
Kimmel’s comment, though, was less about inflating his own sense of self-worth than about denigrating people he disagrees with. We don’t see things his way so we simply must be stupid. Nothing more, nothing less, and that just shows how little intelligence his career actually requires. He lacks the smarts to understand that intelligent people can disagree on numerous topics without being stupid.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying all liberals are dumb. I’ve known far too many people who have liberal positions but are actually fairly smart to buy into that.
No, I’m just saying that Kimmel is dumb.
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