The Specialness of the Season
posted by Nate Oman
In the spirit of the season, this old post — once more making the rounds — on the worst Christmas specials ever is not to be missed. In keeping with the serious, policy-focused, meta-level discussions that you hace come to expect from Co-Op, here are my two favorites:
A Muppet Christmas with Zbigniew Brzezinski (1978)
A year before their rather more successful Christmas pairing with John Denver, the Muppets joined Carter Administration National Security Advisor Brezezinski for an evening of fun, song, and anticommunist rhetoric. While those who remember the show recall the pairing of Brzezinki and Miss Piggy for a duet of “Winter Wonderland” as winsomely enchanting, the scenes where the NSA head explains the true meaning of Christmas to an assemblage of Muppets dressed as Afghan mujahideen was incongruous and disturbing even then. Washington rumor, unsupported by any Carter administration member, suggests that President Carter had this Christmas special on a repeating loop while he drafted his infamous “Malaise” speech.
And:
Noam Chomsky: Deconstructing Christmas (1998)This PBS/WGBH special featured linguist and social commentator Chomsky sitting at a desk, explaining how the development of the commercial Christmas season directly relates to the loss of individual freedoms in the United States and the subjugation of indigenous people in southeast Asia. Despite a rave review by Z magazine, musical guest Zach de la Rocha and the concession by Chomsky to wear a seasonal hat for a younger demographic appeal, this is known to be the least requested Christmas special ever made.
(ht Russell Arben Fox)
December 16, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Posted in: Humor
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Responses (1)
Mark Edwards - December 16, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Those are hilarious. I would love to see Zbigniew Brzezinski and the muppets. It’s like an impossible dream come true.
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