Absurd “˜Jackass’ taps into lowbrow sense of humor

  Anthony Camara Camara is currently
enduring "Jackass" withdrawal. Letters of encouragement can be sent
to [email protected].

In this column, I had originally intended to dazzle readers with
keen political acumen and insightful commentary in the wake of
yesterday’s election.

As I sat down to compose my thoughts, however, I realized that,
as an Arts and Entertainment writer, the only remotely political
news I feel qualified to give concerns the recent breakup of Rage
Against the Machine. Sad but true, the pop culture-addled minds of
A&E writers often have little use for something as pragmatic as
politics.

So, instead of killing my time and yours by attempting to
justify my vote, I’ll discuss something much juicier and a
whole lot easier to understand: a little slice of American
homegrown idiocy called “Jackass.”

Ensconced between “Choose or Lose” and “Direct
Effect,” “Jackass” resurrects the lowbrow schtick
of “Beavis and Butthead” in all its former glory
““ except this time around, the MTV execs went out and found a
couple of real-life bungholes every bit as outrageous as their
animated predecessors.

Anchored by career idiots Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera, the
show features a variety of stunts and pranks aimed to provoke
lowest common denominator laughs. Couple that with Spike
Jonze’s involvement as producer, and it’s probably only
a matter of time before we see a live-action rendition of frog
baseball.

Now, I’ve been told more than once that I’m a bit of
a snob when it comes to entertainment, and I’ll own up to
that readily. Although I try to stay informed as my job requires
it, Top 40 radio’s generally not my thing, and as far as I
know, Real Worlders Amaya and Colin are still in Hawaii trying to
work out their differences. Likewise, I’ve never been much of
a fan of the kind of humor “Jackass” caters to.

With that said, I’ve got a little confession to make: as
you’ve probably guessed, I’m hopelessly addicted to
Knoxville and his merry band of idiots’ antics.

If you haven’t seen the show, please don’t start
““ all it takes is one episode. And if you’re already in
the depths of addiction, you and I both need to find a support
group.

A month ago, I would have failed to see the humor in a man
testing the efficacy of stun guns, tasers, and pepper spray on
himself in a segment titled “Self Defense.” Not that I
find it hilarious now, but the show manages to tickle my funny bone
in new and increasingly morbid ways each week.

I’m fully aware of the twisted psychology that’s at
work when I’m watching ““ OK, here’s a bad car
wreck, try not to look ““ but as is the case with many
disasters, the appeal often proves to be overwhelming. Thus, the
Jackass Effect is due largely to human nature.

As I write this column, I can honestly say I’ve almost
kicked my “Jackass” habit. I’ve been clean for
over a week now, and the alienation I was feeling from the decent
sector of society has started to fade. Still, the month or so I
spent in the darkness of addiction has led me to contemplate the
wave of trash television that America seems so infatuated with.

Before my brush with buffoonery, I would have attributed the
appeal of a show like “Survivor” solely to voyeurism.
Now, after having gained an insider’s perspective, I can say
with some certainty that America enshrines entertainment
idiocy.

I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before news of
“Jackass” copycats hits the paper. They’ll be
prime material for “News of the Weird”: boy swims in
sewage plant, urban kayakers arrested in downtown fountain,
outhouse tipping accident, etc. It’s hard to say what viewers
will find more entertaining ““ actually watching the clowns
execute calculated feats of stupidity, or knowing that
there’s bigger jackasses out there who are crazy enough to
follow in their heroes’ footsteps.

It’s long been my belief that censorship is ineffective,
and I’ve always been especially offended by the attitude that
art can somehow be “tamed” by altering its content. But
“Jackass” ““ art?

If it is, it’s theater of the absurd to the nth degree,
and far beyond the realm of performance art by any stretch of the
imagination. Furthermore, as far as I can tell, Johnny and company
carry out their pranks just for kicks and sheer spectacle.
I’d like to think that a lot more goes into the creation of
art than that. So does anybody else think a little regulation might
be in order here?

Which brings me full circle to the toughest part of this column
““ explaining how, exactly, a right-speaking, law-abiding guy
like me got mixed up with a peculiarly charming degenerate like
Johnny Knoxville.

Well, he’s all of the things I’m not, and the show
allows me to see how the other half lives. So there it is,
voyeurism rearing its ugly head once again.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that, just like my favorite
political candidate, I found Johnny’s idiocy to be strangely
endearing.