- Describe a conspiracy theory on your mind right now.
Have you heard about Shane Gillis’s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live last week? Maybe it’s just my algorithm, but that story is inundating my news feeds lately. Since it’s a hot topic right now, let’s talk about it.
Shane Gillis had his third appearance on SNL this past Sunday, and it seemed like he was riffing off the cuff for his whole monologue. He looked uncomfortable, nervous almost, which isn’t typical of his performances. It read as overconfident but under-prepared, and the response he got from the audience was lukewarm if I’m being generous. Towards the end, the warmest reception came from when he said he was done; he laughed it off, knowing it wasn’t his best.
There was one joke in particular that landed far south of “not his best.”
For those unfamiliar, here’s the transcript of the monologue. Scroll about halfway down to find the joke where he says women dress like whores at the gym. He ultimately inserts himself as the punchline by saying he’s an out-of-shape creep who gets caught on video gawking at said “whores,” but there’s no mincing words here–he said that, and there’s no taking it out of context.
Now, I’m a fan of Shane Gillis. That’s why this whole thing kind of boggles my mind.
I find it interesting that in the middle of such fiery societal discourse about women, sexual assault, and the uprising of victims and survivors, that Shane Gillis would make such a joke on a world stage like SNL. Tastelessness aside, tone-deafness aside, it’s an unfunny joke with outdated references that don’t make any sense in today’s society. Women haven’t worn scrunch-butt leggings to the gym in a decade, and latest trends are favoring baggy clothing over the skintight sets from a few years ago. The joke just doesn’t make sense, and its only operation was to offend.
Shane Gillis isn’t an unfunny comedian, and he’s never struck me as blatantly disrespectful towards women before. Yes, his jokes border on the dark side of humor, but that’s the beauty of comedy. He does the tightrope act well. This “joke,” while lending shock value to an otherwise dry portion of the show, doesn’t convincingly fit in with his style of humor. So what happened?
I have a theory.
Whenever something like this sweeps the attention of seemingly everyone in my age bracket, I start with wondering what we’re being distracted from. This is basic Conspiracy Theorist 101. I don’t pay attention to as much mainstream news anymore, so while I’m confident there’s a specific “something,” that’s not my focus. It’s just something to keep in mind. However, I do care to point out that this is deepening the divide between men and women, which was an existing wound ripped open by the Cornell 7. We’re still reeling from that news; women all over the world feel violated on behalf of Jane Doe because we know her pain all too well, and men who would never think to commit such atrocities are on the sidelines feeling helpless against a righteous mob, a hoard of women hoarse from roaring in a vacuum. And that’s the entire point.
My theory is that Shane Gillis was paid an enormous amount of money to be divisive, to the point of getting himself cancelled. To me, he looked and sounded uncomfortable delivering that fated line. There is zero chance he didn’t foresee the blowback from this, and same goes for the other writers who allowed this joke through. It wouldn’t be the first time a celebrity has been paid off to spread a false narrative or sacrifice their careers. Whoever or whatever is engineering this state of unrest wants to keep it that way. The negativity spurned from an “us versus them” mentality is ripe for contagion; the fear women are feeling from this fallout is real and understandable as much as it is planted; the anger within men is stoked like a fire in their chest, and anger is anger regardless of nobility. The fact remains that negativity is rearing its shadowy heads, division being the forward face.
So what can we do?
Start by recognizing the situation (as in any hot-button issue) for what it is. Take a step back to see it in a wider lens. Ask yourself if there’s an agenda attached to it. I’m not advocating for silence nor complacency—I think people should do and say what makes their soul feel fired up and fulfilled. Speaking up, speaking out, looking in, whatever brings you back to a place of love is where to begin. But staying in that place of love, that realm of positivity, hopefulness, and excitement–that’s what we can use to fight against the negative forces at work.
As for Shane Gillis: I’m disappointed in the decision he made. It was a choice to do that joke, whether of his own volition or prompted by a bigger motivation outside himself. Either way, his words were a catalyst for some of the darkness we’re seeing right now. I hope he’s happy with his choice. In a way, I’m happy with it; because of him, there are conversations being had, minds and eyes being opened, and lessons learned among a garden of growth. My two cents will hopefully help enrich at least one person out there, and for that I’m grateful.
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