Jimmy Kimmel YouTube Video: Presidential Debate Interviews
Jimmy Kimmel YouTube interview that pranks people about politics.
This week Jimmy Kimmel conducted “man on the street” interviews with everyday citizens, polling them about who won this week’s presidential debate. There was only one catch.
The debates hadn’t happened yet.
As you watch the video, you’ll see person after person step up to the microphone.
When asked who won the debate, most of them feign confidence.
Obama. Or Romney. Definitely, They say right into the camera.
But when asked if there were any highlights, things start to get fuzzy. A couple of guys with some A+ bluffing talent play the odds and say the best part was the booing…or the part about the economy. That’s pretty safe, right?
And everyone claims they liked the town hall style format.
But what get’s me is why this is funny.
At first it’s because we like to think we’ve found a few morons to laugh at, people whose ridiculous lack of attention to important societal matters makes us feel like the smarter, more informed members of society.
But I don’t think that’s the real reason it’s funny.
I think it’s funny for the same reason Seinfeld was funny.
The whole routine hits close to home.
We know people who are constantly pretending they know more than they do (those offensive ignoramous!). So we can elbow our friend sitting next to us and mouth the name of some guy we know who would no doubt similarly flounder in Kimmel’s interview.
But even more so, maybe we laugh because there’s something so honest in this display of human nature that it reminds us of our own weak moments and worst tendencies.
The times people say something about a current event, a political issue, a historical period, a geographical location, an author or a prominent person who we, panic-panic-panic, know absolutely nothing about.
And what do we do?
Do we pause and admit our ignorance? Sometimes maybe.
But can you think of a time where you didn’t bother? Where you nodded and mmm-hmmmed and said “sure” or “exactly” through 30 seconds of diatribe praying to God no one would call your bluff?
Why DO we do that?
It’s because we don’t want to be society’s go-to ignoramous. We want it to be somebody else. Anybody else.
We don’t want to admit that we watch more reality TV and Major League Baseball than we do political coverage. We don’t want to admit we fell asleep during geography class or that we haven’t learned anything about history since 11th grade.
We want to be the guy you respect. You like. You admire.
So what’s the take away here, fellow humans?
A call to graciousness.
1. The next time you’re tempted to fib or bluff, own up to what you don’t know.
Nobody is schooled in the finer points of everything, so it’s acceptable to have some blind spots. Even if you don’t know things you think most people would or should know. On the flip side, you probably know some things most people don’t know too, so it’s a fair trade off.
Give yourself some grace. Play it straight. “I’ve always been terrible at following politics” is actually a lot more respectable than pretending you took in a debate you didn’t and getting caught.
2. The next time you sense someone else is bluffing or exaggerating about what they know, let them off the hook.
We’re human. Whether we’re tired, mistaken or just feeling some social pressure, we sometimes make poor decisions and white-lie our way through social functions.
That’s dishonest. And not so honorable. But it also suggests the person feels inferior, that they are worried about being judged or looking stupid.
So show some compassion.
Give the punch line away early so they can follow along. “Did you see the presidential debate last night?” Half-hearted nod. “I loved the part where…”
And let.it.go.
With a little grace given, and a little grace received, this might end up being an altogether more tolerable and happy planet to live on.