What can we learn from RFK Jr’s ‘erotic poetry’? That Americans need to get better at enjoying a scandal | Marina Hyde
In a recent commentary, Marina Hyde, a columnist for The Guardian, humorously critiques the serious tone often adopted by American journalism, particularly in light of the recent revelations about U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra’s unconventional poetic correspondence with journalist Olivia Nuzzi. Hyde argues that while American journalists often approach their work with a sense of gravitas, the absurdity of the situation invites laughter rather than solemn analysis. She contrasts the American press’s self-importance with the British press’s more self-aware and irreverent style, suggesting that the former might benefit from a more lighthearted perspective on their own antics.
Hyde highlights the peculiarities of the American political landscape, using examples such as Becerra’s alleged poetic musings—described as “felching poetry”—to underscore the bizarre nature of political scandals in the U.S. She notes that while British politicians have their own share of scandals, they are often treated with a level of humor and cynicism that seems missing in the American context. The piece serves as a reminder that sometimes the best response to political absurdities is not to dissect them with a serious lens but to embrace the inherent ridiculousness. Hyde’s commentary not only sheds light on the cultural differences between British and American journalism but also encourages readers to find humor in the chaos of political life, suggesting that laughter can be a more effective coping mechanism than solemnity in the face of such bizarre events.
The US health secretary’s ‘digital affair’ with Olivia Nuzzi doesn’t need sombre analysis. Take it from this Brit: sometimes laughter is the only option
Literally nothing on this earth takes itself as seriously as American journalism. There are rogue-state dictators it’s more permissible to laugh at than the endlessly hilarious pretensions of newsmen and newswomen in the United States. The crucial difference between the British press and US press is that at least we in the British press
know
we’re in the gutter. The Americans have always imagined – and so loudly – that they are involved in some kind of higher calling. Guys, I love you and stuff, but get over it, because you’re missing one of the great jokes of the century. Yourselves.
I don’t deny that everything’s bigger in America. Our former health secretary had a knee-trembler up against his office door
in the pandemic
; their current one
apparently
wrote felching … poetry, is it … felching poetry? … to a superstar journalist who was worrying about his brainworm, yet the story is being written up like it’s Dante, instead of X-rated Italian brainrot.
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist
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A year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar
On Tuesday 2 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back at another extraordinary year, with special guests, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets
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