And Ballyhoo

[Content Note: References to Holocaust.]

Comedian Gary Gulman, onstage: My friend recommended a documentary to me recently about Hitler. It was about Hitler's atrocities. But my friend, god love her, she couldn't think of the word atrocities. She tried to cover for a second; she went "ahhh—" while she searched for a synonym, but it didn't come out right.

She said, "Gary, I saw this very interesting documentary about Hitler's shenanigans." [audience laughter] Shenanigans! [he chuckles] Not even close!

And, as a Jew, I'm obviously not oversensitive, but when people trivialize Hitler's monkey-business... [audience laughter] When the Nazis' hijinks, tomfoolery, and ballyhoo is understated, I feel it does a disservice to the millions who were, ahhh, inconvenienced by Hitler's mischief! [audience laughter]

Tomato, tomahto. Shenanigans, genocide. [shakes his head]
An important reminder in this moment from our president a political leader a preeminent social commentator the press a comedian that language matters.

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