This Week in Off-Topic: Hey, Pundits, It's Not All About You or Your Causes

Pictured: The most punchable face in America

Rush Limbaugh recently said that The Dark Knight Rises had a left-wing slant to it. For the record, the movie comes out to the genpop in about three hours or so, and I'm not sure Limbaugh was privy to the critics screening. Maybe he was, I don't know, but his reasoning didn't seem to be based on anything contained within the plot. Nope, he says it's a left-wing propaganda piece because the villain's name is Bane. Yep, Limbaugh makes this claim because the villain, who was chosen before Mitt Romney even emerged as the favorite to clinch the Republican nomination, is a homonym for a company the aforementioned candidate worked for. Limbaugh said something stupid; it must be a day that ends in "y".

Limbaugh's not the only one, even if he's the most prominent and longest-tenured one making asinine claims that pop culture is slanted towards keeping a Democrat/Republican/whatever in office. Maybe some of these works of art are politically charged, but the last time I checked, that wasn't a crime. Even so, a lot of these popular things get labeled for political commentary, and I for one am fucking sick of it.

I understand politics are important to the people who follow them religiously. However for most of us, it's a stark reminder of how fucked up our real lives are, which is why many of us would rather immerse ourselves into other forms of entertainment. I don't wanna be bothered with the narrative when I'm getting pumped to watch the movie. But here we go, Limbaugh inserts it, and boom, everyone starts talking about it. And here I go having to endure people defending him, attacking him and setting up mostly unfunny Twitter accounts parodying what he's saying because hey, everyone's a comedian. And yeah, I know I "don't have to read" anything, but it's kinda hard when it shows up in the blogs I have on my Google Reader or with the people I follow. It's kinda like those fake Ted accounts. I follow zero of them, but people I follow just keep retweeting them. I can't escape it.

The problem here isn't with me. No, it's not with me at all. Yeah, I'm the one who doesn't like it, but at the same time, why the fuck do self-important windbags like Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and Bill Maher have to keep saying stupid shit about the stuff I like that has nothing to do with politics, thus inserting it into the narrative of my enjoyment of it? I answered my own question; they're self-important. I guess when a cultural phenomenon comes out and people are talking about it, they're not talking about people like Limbaugh or the causes they champion. "Oh, why aren't people talking about how Obama is a secret Muslim socialist who will unleash MECHA-LENIN ON AMERICA IF HE GETS A SECOND TERM? It's this movie! Well, I'll show 'em!"

Here's the truth; no one likes the douchebag who goes to the party and tries to change EVERY conversation to his topic du jour. That's what these pundits, people who get paid to have stupid political opinions that keep people talking and thus end up shaping policy instead of, y'know, the imporant shit, are. They're the douches who want you to stop talking about things you enjoy and talk about the things they enjoy, which are hand-wringing over who's going to win the Presidential election.

That isn't to say there isn't a time for that. Yeah, just like that guy at your party might have a point when he says his ex-wife is a no good cheating asshole because she cheated on him, that point is better served at a place where people aren't convening for the express purpose of having a good time. And that's what popular culture is. It's a place where we convene to have a good time. It's not good to chill there all the time, but when we're there, we don't want to be bombarded even further with fucking ROMNEY VS. OBAMA more than we are when we watch the news or when the political attack ads finally start circulating on the television.

So yeah Rush, let me have the fucking Dark Knight Rises for my enjoyment. You stay in your corner and masturbate to far-flung blogs who still purvey slash-fiction about Obama being found out as a foreigner. Leave mine to me. It's not all about you.