Goodbye Infomania- You made a humorless feminist laugh

The Clip Show.  It’s one of my favorite motifs for catching up on/mocking reality TV that I wouldn’t be able to sit through on a regular basis, even with my DVR helping the process along.  It’s how I’ve come to know the cast of the Jersey Shore, the Real Housewives (other than the OC- which I find myself watching and eye-rolling at but cannot seem to escape), and other mercilessly mocked “entertainment.”  I am, however, in mourning for what I’ve always considered the crème de la crème: infomania.

Found on Current TV, it’s this show that for me was the ultimate.  From it’s days with Conor Knighton and “Target Women” with Sarah Haskins, to its current (pun intended) line up of Modern Lady Erin Gibson and the always funny Bryan Safi.  It was a place that I could go and laugh at all manner of things media without fretting about rape jokes, misogyny and homophobia.  I’ve watched other clip shows in the past; in fact, I’ve probably seen at least one episode of every mainstream clip show out there.  And I’ve had problems with all of them.

I’ve only seen a few episode of Tosh.0 thanks to a roommate and I’m not impressed.  I don’t find most of the humor funny, and as others have pointed out much of the material on rape is apologist and problematic.  I also don’t find much of what he says funny.  I guess that makes me a humorless feminist.  C’est la vie.

Joel McHale’s The Soup used to be a favorite.  While I thought most of his treatment of Roman Polanski was appropriate (see, rape jokes can be funny- when made at the expense of rapists), sometimes it got to be too much for me.  Plus, the new segment “Gay Shows” really annoys me.  Again, humorless feminist alert, I fail to see the humor in framing a bunch of clips that showcase “traditional” masculinity (Swamp Loggers, Ice Road Truckers, etc).  I know it’s supposed to be satirical.  I know that’s what a lot of people say when they write offensive crap about rape as a “joke.”  What many people with privilege simply don’t get is that satire only works when people understand that what you are claiming is so ridiculous it cannot have a shred of truth and doesn’t further marginalize a community.  So although I recognize that The Soup is being satirical with this segment, I don’t find it particularly funny.

I may have to turn to Style’s The Dish.  I’ve been a Danielle Fishel fan since my childhood watching her as Topanga on Boy Meets World.  As a humorless feminist, I guess I’ll just have to set aside the emphasis on fashion, weddings, and celebrity gossip.   I need a weekly dose of a clip show that makes fun of everything reality TV has to offer…  So, goodbye infomania.  I will miss you every time I hear something that your fantastic cast could have skewered in your own special way.