Today's cuppa: Fast-food coffee.
If you read the entertainment press at all, you can't help but trip over a growing heap of stories about how "Saturday Night Live" is affecting the political landscape in the presidential race. Currently, "SNL" enthusiasats are crowing about how Tina Fey's portrayal of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice-presidential contender, is overshadowing the real person.
Really? In whose minds? Not mine, since I haven't watched "SNL" since Dennis Miller left.
This may come as a shock to some people, but not everybody watches "Saturday Night Live." And not everybody who watches the show believes it is a credible player in the presidential race. And to the extent that it may be or actually is -- shame on those who have allowed it to be so (ironically, they're probably some of the same folks who complain that we focus too much on personalities and "distractions," rather than substantive issues).
"SNL" is a comedy show that sometimes does political satire. It has its place in the daily discourse of the nation, as satire always has -- from Roman graffiti to political cartoons to Jib-Jab videos. And politicians want in on the game, making guest appearances on "SNL" and other comedy shows to get their message across.
I'd rather they spent their time talking and listening to the voters, but that's the world we live in.
But if anyone is basing a vote on a "Saturday Night Live" skit -- and I have perfect faith that none of my loyal Cuppers would do such a silly thing -- that person needs to broaden his or her perspective and political education.
So here are a few thoughts that the self-congratulatory "SNL" lovers might keep in mind:
Everyone you know may be watching the show and nodding in happy agreement with everything it says, but you don't know everyone.
It may seem that everyone is writing news stories and blogging about "SNL," but not everyone is a journalist or a blogger.
Any election, from dog catcher to president, is more important to the lives of real people than the biggest-rated night of any scripted TV show, including "Saturday Night Live."
I wouldn't want my elected officials writing comedy skits -- seriously. Big time. Conversely, I don't want comedy writers making pronouncements about policy or how I should vote. Two different skill sets.
Giggling in the face of a hurricane may make you feel better for a moment, but the hurricane will still knock you and your house into next week. Laughter has its place, but it doesn't solve real problems or avert real disasters. That takes work, which is seldom fun.
No doubt, the vast, overwhelming majority of "SNL" viewers take it for what it is and don't make more of it than it is. Then they get up the next morning and get on with their real lives and real jobs and real families and real hard voting decisions, and don't think about "SNL" again until the following Saturday night.
In the end, those are the folks that really count.