A Fool For All Seasons

By Jim Shepherd

When I first started in journalism, most of the reporters and editors in the business enjoyed April 1. It was the day we might actually get to write the silly headlines, fabricated stories and outrageous quotes we joked about the other days of the year.

Not so much anymore.

It would be difficult to make up stories any more bizarre and outrageous than the ones that seem to consume most of the news time anymore.

Not too-long ago, reading the headline "Government Takes Over Car Companies" or "Government Assumes Banking" would be prime candidates for April Fools headlines. The outrageous story would go on to say that the government would be naming new chief executives, mandating product lines and all manner of formerly outrageous behavior.

I'd considered the headline "Global Warming Gets New Definition: Spring" but I knew it might offend our readers who believe in global warming or are in state governments lined up at the teat of government environmental funding. One group can't be convinced with facts; the other can't survive off the dole.

Another prime candidate: "Local Government Thumbs Nose at Supreme Court and Continues to Deny Individuals Handguns". The chances of a nasty-gram from Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty turned me off to that idea.

This year my personal favorite would probably be: "No News Really IS Good News". But that's a wish, not a joke.

For some reason, none of those headlines are as riotously funny as they once would have been.

Earlier this week, I listened to the President of the United States in a one-on-one interview with one of the morning news show hosts.

Initially, I was surprised and impressed at the candid and forthcoming answers. Having been in office a year, President Obama admitted his empathy for the presidents before him - primarily President Bush- was stronger than he'd thought possible.

At that point, frankly, he lost me.

Instead of saying "average people aren't happy at the way government seems to be growing" he said "folk are concerned" or "folk don't like.." His "people" were aware of the concern of the "folk" but thought it wasn't anything unusual. After all, he explained, after a period of having been in power, those out of power were normally frustrated and angry.

Unfortunately, our commander-in-chief wasn't describing eleven dissidents in some renegade Congressional delegation.

He was describing the more than eighty percent of average Americans who continue to roil at a low boil because they're just "folk" and the "people" they elected to office seem deaf to their concerns - or wishes.

Up until April 1, 2010, I might have written a headline that read "President Says 80 Percent of Americans Are Full of Hooey" and gotten a chuckle from most.

Today, I would simply be paraphrasing Tuesday's interview or be accused of engaging in "hate speech" or "dangerous extremist rhetoric" designed to "divide, not unify our country".

This April Fool's Day, I'm not in much of a joking mood.

But I'm probably not the only American feeling like a fool at the mess we've gotten ourselves into by not paying closer attention.

Next April 1, I'd hope to be able to write another gag headline. This year, my sense of the absurd is simply inadequate.

Republished from The Outdoor Wire.