Comedian’s stunt part of anti-Trump culture

Don’t lay all the blame on Kathy Griffin. The shock comedian was simply following the lead of our broader anti-Trump culture.

It was only a matter of time before it came to this.

But before we dig in, let’s get the disclaimers out of the way.

Nobody should gleefully pose with the pretend severed head of the president of the United States.

Or the pretend severed head of anyone, for that matter.

It’s what terrorists do for real to Americans and people from all over the world. They did it, to cite one of the widest known murders, to Wall Street Journal writer Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Griffin’s supposed prank belittles these atrocities and, while we live in a fairly desensitized age, disturbs people, particularly the young.

President Donald Trump posted to social media that his 11-year-old son was upset by the depiction. No doubt. Griffin’s actions also send the message that violence against people with whom you disagree is funny and OK. It’s not.

In the middle of all this, on Wednesday afternoon, police arrested a man sitting in his car outside the Washington Trump hotel with weapons and ammo. He’d reportedly told a tipster he “wanted to get close to Trump” and “be like Timothy McVeigh”.

Yes, Griffin is a comedian but her stunt doesn’t really fit any definition of comedy, satire or parody.

Griffin’s not unfamiliar with controversy and usually digs in her heels. But in this case she’s issued a full apology.

Still, it looks like she’s going to face repercussions. She’s been booted from her CNN New Year’s Eve gig and clubs are announcing cancellations of her upcoming shows.

She should not, as some have argued, face criminal charges for her antics.

But if the market is going to punish her by pulling her gigs, so be it.

All of that aside, it’s hard to get worked up at Griffin alone. She’s not operating in a vacuum.

It’s been open season on Trump since Day 1. Demoralize him. Dehumanize him. Call him every name in the book. Wish every ill upon him and, often, his family.

Griffin’s prank is a logical extension of this broader anti-Trump culture.

Back in January, on the day of the inauguration, Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders tweeted: “If you thought you’d never see anything on TV as frightening as 9/11, this was it. But the consequences of this are far more damaging.”

This wasn’t some D-list diva going for a cheap laugh. Saunders is supposedly a serious columnist for Canada’s alleged paper of record.

If a mainstream guy like Saunders believes Trump’s presidency has some kind of equivalency to 9/11, then a jokester flirting with the idea of beheading the president isn’t that many steps away.

Likewise, all the stories about Trump supporters who have been assaulted and harassed just for wearing Make America Great Again hats, attending rallies or simply being suspected of having voted for Trump. And the mainstream media downplays it all.

Together these stories dehumanize Trump, his supporters and anyone who isn’t on the hysterically anti-Trump bandwagon.

Griffin just took the ball and ran with it.

Maybe it’s time those playing this silly game agreed to call it quits.