The College Fix

‘Vitality’ indeed

Remember the end of last year when some professors showed that liberal comedians are anything but anymore … and actually helped get Trump elected?

Looks like Harvard didn’t get the memo.

The organizers of its “Intellectual Vitality Initiative” apparently forgot what the program is supposed to be about: promoting “ ‘rigor, charity, and open exploration’ without endorsing partisan stances.”

Last Saturday’s Intellectual Vitality event featured “The Daily Show’s” Jordan Klepper, who supposedly helped attendees with “navigat[ing] conversations across the political aisle.”

If you’re saying to yourself “Who??” I’m sure you’re in good company. Not only is the contemporary “Daily Show” virtually unwatchable, even its promo commercials are beyond cringe (they’re played endlessly during mid-day “Seinfeld” — an actual comedy — marathons).

According to The Crimson, Kirkland House Dean David Deming thought Klepper would be “a natural fit” for getting into “difficult” political questions … apparently because the latter got, er, popular by “conducting man-on-the-street interviews with Trump supporters at rallies.”

Except that Klepper may have done a a bait-and-switch, for after Deming asked him about the “intellectual vitality” of asking questions of those whose minds he knows he would not change, Klepper replied “Oh no, there’s no intellectual vitality. My purpose is to get health insurance.”

Humor at its finest, folks!

MORE: ‘Diversity of thought’ event lacked conservative views: report

“I think Donald Trump is the worst president we’ve ever had in the United States,” [Klepper] said. “He’s a very dangerous man with fascistic tendencies, and I think he’s an idiot.”

Although he said there was “chaos” on both sides of the aisle, Klepper said that the Republican party has “given up reality.”

Klepper argued that many of the rally attendees he interacted with were trapped in a pro-Trump echo chamber fed by the right-wing media like One America News Network, Breitbart, and their Facebook and TikTok feeds.

“They are taken in by this propaganda by the most powerful person on the planet,” he said. “I empathize with them as humans, but I’m frustrated with the way in which they get manipulated.”

Klepper added that while Harvardians should make sure to get out of their political “echo chambers,” it’s important to remain progressive.

“I truly believe that is good for our society,” he said. “This is where you should be exploring ways in which to make the country better and not to be an asshole conservative.”

Deming appeared to realize he made a boo boo with the invite when he prompted Klepper to relate a time when someone with different politics had made him “reconsider” a position. Klepper replied he’s never changed his mind.

The dean then responded “I’m changing my mind about you right now.”

Here’s an sample of Klepper’s alleged knee-slapping hilarity:

Although “The Daily Show” was rejuvenated last year by the return of longtime host Jon Stewart, ratings-wise it still wasn’t enough to beat out the Fox News show on at the same time (“Fox News @ Night”) nor FNC’s “Daily Show” analogue “Gutfeld!” which airs an hour earlier.

MORE: These profs get it: Liberals aren’t funny anymore, and that helped Trump win

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