I was reminded the other night why I don’t watch Saturday Night Live anymore. I used to love it with John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner, and Eddie Murphy who were real comedians that didn’t rely on trashing someone’s character to get a few laughs.

I had never heard of a Brave’s player named John Rocker, but after the horrific impersonation the show made of him, I know he must be a nice person. Both he and his father were maligned as being nuts and having an incestuous relationship because of an interview in Sports Illustrated where John gave an opinion about riding the subway in New York… an observation shared by millions.

He was ridiculed for stating an opinion, and making a poignant remark on society as a whole. Could that same observation be extended to the writers, producers, directors of Saturday Night Live who repeated the opinion by way of perverted exaggeration?

What kind of country have we become when stating an opinion is an excuse for character assassination, and acting out the opinion, is considered hip humor. There is nothing mature, funny or noble about using the public airwaves to destroy a person’s character.