Ben Shapiro, the cultural gadfly whose intellectual capabilities are dwarfed only by his diminutive height, called Joe Biden “the Kurt Cobain of politics,” and meant it as an insult.
The former Never Trumper turned bootlicker extraordinaire made that utterance in response to Biden’s State of the Union Address. Shapiro was trying to spin out a metaphor, though the cognitive strain quickly defeated him. “Joe Biden is the Kurt Cobain of politics. He put a shotgun in the mouth of the American body politic and then pulled the trigger. And the brains are on the wall.”
People who think words have meaning might point out that in this example, Biden is the author of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in one sentence and then all of the American government in the next. Is Shapiro calling the President a murderer? Is he claiming Biden committed political suicide? Is he, in fact, a sentient pile of rat dung arranged in the shape of a person? At this point it’s impossible to say.
Certainly, the podcaster’s words are meant to be felt, not analyzed, with a warp-speed conversational style intended to overwhelm with force instead of logic. How else can he hope to get away with claiming, as he does here, that the first 14 months of Biden’s presidency are literally worse than the Civil War? Shapiro speaks with all the grace of a rapidly-deflating balloon, flailing randomly from one point to another on a violent stream of fart sounds. You can listen to it yourself below.
This isn’t the first time he’s mangled pop culture. In 2020 Shaprio got extremely hot and bothered about Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s hit “WAP.” To demonstrate the evil of the song to his listeners, he recited the lyrics line by line, melting at the prospect of the word “pussy” and instead quivering at an avalanche of “p-words.” It’s hard to imagine experiencing pop culture this way, but the same impulse inspired Fox News’ meltdown over Minnie Mouse’s pantsuit and Senator Ted Cruz’s feud with Big Bird. It’s another volley in a culture war that’s meant to be continuous, not won.
Ben Shapiro: "Joe Biden is the Kurt Cobain of politics. He put a shotgun in the mouth of the American body politic and then pulled the trigger. And the brains are on the wall" pic.twitter.com/7om4KwvAbv
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) March 2, 2022
