Thursday, March 2, 2017

Presidential Humor Lessons


President Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington DC 20500
2 March 2017 

Dear President Trump, 

When I moved from elementary school to middle school, I switched schools.  That meant that I was the new kid and as a result, I got picked on and insulted and mocked a lot.  It took me a while, but I finally figured out that if I made fun of myself, I got to control the conversation, and the bullies couldn’t make fun of me if I had already done so myself. 

As has frequently been pointed out in the press, you have a remarkably thin skin when it comes to people making fun of you.  I certainly understand this.  Such taunts hurt.  You have expressed anger at the cast of Saturday Night Live for their parodies of you, you have been angered at various late night hosts when they make fun of you, and you have proven a remarkably easy person to taunt.   

I am concerned about this because in your anger and vindictiveness, you sometimes seem to make leadership decisions that are motivated more by a desire for revenge than by a desire to make decisions that will benefit the American people.  It also sometimes makes you look foolish. 

If you don’t mind taking some advice from a nerd who figured out how to make humor work for him, I would suggest that your best bet might be to learn to make fun of yourself some times.  Doing so takes the wind out of the sails of those who would mock you and gives you the chance to be seen by the American public as someone who is confident enough to have a sense of humor about himself. 

It may also mean that you do not act out of a desire to hold a grudge when the situation calls for a civil tongue and a wise and thoughtful approach.  

Regards, 

Bill Boerman-Cornell

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