What can we learn from RFK Jr's 'erotic poetry'? That Americans need to get better at enjoying a scandal | Marina Hyde

RFK Jr's 'Erotic Poetry' is a Scandal So Ripe for Satire - Americans Need to Get Better at Enjoying a Good Meme.

The latest salacious scandal involving Robert F Kennedy Jr has left journalists and pundits in a tizzy, with many struggling to contain their giggles. The American press is notorious for its self-seriousness, but when it comes to scandals like this one, they're like a bunch of tone-deaf teenagers - oblivious to the fact that everyone else is laughing at them.

Kennedy's "erotic poetry" was meant to be some kind of profound, soul-baring expression of his feelings, but it came across as more like a middle schooler's first attempt at writing an angsty poem. The image of him hawking his wares to a young journalist who was clearly trying not to laugh is just too rich.

The fact that Kennedy's antics are being taken so seriously by the media is what makes this whole situation so hilarious. Take Olivia Nuzzi's memoir, "American Canto", which uses the metaphor of wildfires to describe her tumultuous relationship with Kennedy and her subsequent descent into a state of "emotional ashes". It's like something out of an Edith Wharton novel - or a parody of one.

Meanwhile, Ryan Lizza is using bamboo as his go-to metaphor for the couple's doomed romance. Because what says "true love" like a bamboo plant that needs to be constantly hacked at with pruning shears? It's like he's trying to make us all cringe in unison.

The wider media is struggling to keep a straight face, but even they can't resist getting in on the fun. A Vanity Fair reviewer was taken aback by Nuzzi's appointment as West Coast editor, and promptly had to admit that she'd been "taken by surprise" - code for "we're all just laughing at you, Marina".

The problem is that Americans have always taken themselves so seriously when it comes to scandals like this one. They need to learn how to laugh at themselves and not take everything so seriously. After all, if you can't poke fun at your own politicians, who will? It's time for the American press to lighten up and join in on the joke.

So, let's all just take a deep breath and acknowledge that this scandal is just too ridiculous to be taken seriously. RFK Jr's "erotic poetry" is the gift that keeps on giving - and it's time for America to learn how to enjoy the laugh.

lolol i feel like when JFK jr got into that weird car accident back in 1999, everyone was so serious about his death being a tragedy but now RFK Jr's "erotic poetry" is just the perfect example of americans taking themselves too seriously lol i mean come on, it's not like he's trying to win a nobel prize or anything and can we talk about how silly marina harrington looks trying to be all serious while covering this story?

I'm dying over here! This whole thing with RFK Jr's "erotic poetry" has got me in stitches. The fact that journalists are trying so hard to be serious about it is just comedy gold. And can we talk about the metaphors? "Emotional ashes"? Bamboo plants? It's like they're having a parody party and everyone's invited!

I love how the author is calling out the media for being too self-serious, but at the same time, they're not taking themselves seriously enough either. I mean, who needs that much analysis when you can just poke fun at it?

The thing is, satire is what America needs right now. We need to learn how to laugh at ourselves and our politicians, because let's be real, we're not exactly known for taking ourselves lightly. And RFK Jr's "erotic poetry" is like the gift that keeps on giving - a perfect example of something that's just too ridiculous to take seriously.

Can we please just make a meme about this already?

I'm dyin' over here ! This whole thing is just too much, you know? Like, Robert F Kennedy Jr's got some serious issues (imo) but at the same time, I gotta hand it to him - he's definitely found a way to get attention out of thin air. His "erotic poetry" is like something out of a bad '90s alt-rock song – cringeworthy, but kinda entertaining? And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that people are taking him seriously? Like, Olivia Nuzzi's memoir sounds like a parody novel or somethin' . Bamboo metaphors for love? Come on!

Anyway, I think the press needs to get a grip (no pun intended) and learn to laugh at themselves. We're Americans, after all – we should be able to poke fun at ourselves without feelin' too bad about it. It's time to lighten up and join in on the joke!

I'm like totally dying laughing over this one , you know? I mean, come on, Robert F Kennedy Jr's erotic poetry is just... *shakes head*. It's like he took every bad 90s emo song and tried to make it into a serious literary thing. And the media is still trying to spin it as some deep, profound expression of his feelings? Give me a break! I love how Olivia Nuzzi is using metaphors from her book "American Canto" to describe her relationship with him - it's like she's trying to roast him at the same time. And Ryan Lizza with the bamboo plant? That's just gold, dude. The whole thing is just so ridiculous that I'm surprised nobody's made a meme about it yet . Americans need to lighten up and not take themselves so seriously, especially when it comes to politicians like RFK Jr. They're already bad enough without us taking ourselves too seriously over them .

I mean, come on, Robert F Kennedy Jr's erotic poetry is literally the most cringeworthy thing I've seen in a long while . The media is being way too serious about this, it's like they're taking themselves so seriously all the time . We need to learn how to laugh at ourselves and not be so uptight all the time. It's just a joke, folks!

And those metaphors from Olivia Nuzzi's memoir are straight out of an Edith Wharton novel... or a parody of one . Bamboo for true love? Give me a break . The fact that Ryan Lizza is trying to make us all cringe in unison with his bamboo plant metaphor is just too much .

I think what's even funnier is how the media is finally starting to crack up and join in on the joke . A Vanity Fair reviewer being taken aback by Nuzzi's appointment and having to admit they were "taken by surprise" ? That's the stuff comedy gold is made of .

We need to lighten up as a nation and not take ourselves so seriously all the time . If we can't poke fun at our own politicians, who will? It's time for America to learn how to enjoy the laugh .

OMG I'm literally dying over here! Kennedy's erotic poetry is like, the ultimate meme waiting to happen ! The fact that he's trying to pass off his cringeworthy attempts at writing as some kind of deep, soul-baring expression is just too funny . And can we talk about Olivia Nuzzi's memoir? "Emotional ashes" and bamboo metaphors? It's like she's trying to make us all LOL with her over-the-top descriptions! I think the American press needs to get a grip (or in this case, a sense of humor ) because this scandal is just too ridiculous not to poke fun at. Let's just enjoy the laugh and move on

I'm dead I mean, what's next? Robert F Kennedy Jr trying to launch a career as a children's book author with his 'soul-baring' rhymes . Newsflash: Americans can't take themselves seriously when it comes to these scandals, but we do love a good meme. Can't the press just poke fun at itself and not make such a big deal out of it?

OMG I'm dying over here! The fact that Kennedy's poems are being treated like a serious scandal is just too much . Can you even imagine if this was happening to, say, a 15-year-old kid sharing their poetry on Instagram? We'd be all over it but when it comes to RFK Jr, suddenly we're all like "oh, poor Robert F Kennedy"? Get real America . And those metaphors?! Ryan Lizza's bamboo plant analogy is everything . It's time for us to take a step back, have a good laugh and not be so serious all the time . I mean, come on, it's poetry! If we can't poke fun at ourselves or at each other when it comes to something this ridiculous, who will? Let's just enjoy the meme and move on

Oh man, this whole thing is just too much! I mean, come on, Robert F Kennedy Jr writing erotic poetry? It's like a meme waiting to happen. And the fact that people are taking themselves so seriously about it is just comedy gold . The media is trying to be all serious and journalist-y, but really they're just getting roasted by RFK Jr's own ridiculousness.

And let's be real, if this was a joke on Saturday Night Live or a meme on Twitter, people would be loving it. But because it's actually real (well, kind of), the press is having trouble not taking themselves too seriously . It's time for Americans to learn how to laugh at ourselves and not take everything so seriously. I mean, if you can't make fun of RFK Jr's poetry, who will?

Wow this whole thing is just so ridiculous! Americans need to lighten up and not take themselves so seriously, especially when it comes to scandals like this one . The fact that Kennedy's "erotic poetry" is being taken seriously by the media is just too much to handle . And can we talk about how cringeworthy Olivia Nuzzi's writing style is? It's like she's trying to make us all roll our eyes in unison .

RFK Jr's erotic poetry thingy is like, super cringeworthy . I mean, come on, who writes that stuff? It's like he's trying to be some sort of literary genius or something . And the media being all serious about it? Give me a break . Americans need to learn how to laugh at themselves and not take everything so seriously . I mean, if you can't make fun of your own politicians, who will? It's like they're trying to be the straight man in some kind of joke . Anyway, RFK Jr's poetry is just a meme waiting to happen and I'm all for it .

omg this is like the most epic meme ever!! i'm dying over here lol rfk jr's "erotic poetry" sounds like a hot mess express and i love how the media is trying so hard not to giggle the idea of olivia nucci's book being compared to an edith wharton novel is literally too funny and who comes up with using bamboo as a metaphor for true love?! ryan lizza needs to get back on the good book anyway, let's all just take a deep breath and enjoy the laugh together

I'm dyin' over here ! RFK Jr's 'poetry' is literally the most cringeworthy thing I've ever seen. Like, what were they thinkin'? The media is takin' it so seriously and I just can't even handle it. It's like they're all tryin' to be somber and serious, but we're all just over here LOLin' at the absurdity of it all . And Olivia Nuzzi's memoir? What a wild ride! Ryan Lizza with bamboo? I'm dyin'! The fact that Americans take themselves so seriously is what makes this whole thing so funny. We need to lighten up and learn how to laugh at ourselves, you know? It's like, if you can't poke fun at your own politicians, who will? Let's just enjoy the ridiculousness of it all and not take ourselves too seriously .

omg i was at my aunt's house last week and she had these adorable little poodles , they were so fluffy and cute! anyway, did you know that dogs can hear sounds up to 40 kHz, which is way higher than humans can? like, what even is that?! and i was thinking, if we could just train our politicians to be a bit more... canine, maybe we wouldn't get so worked up over stuff like RFK Jr's poetry . also, has anyone seen those new avocado toast recipes online? i'm totally trying one out this weekend

I mean come on , can't RFK Jr just own his weirdness already? I think the real scandal here is that he's still taking himself seriously . The poetry thing was probably meant to be some kind of deep expression, but it's like he's trying too hard . And those metaphors from Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza? they're just so on point .

But seriously though, the American press needs to learn how to not take themselves so seriously all the time . It's okay to laugh at yourself, even when it comes to politicians . I mean, if you can't poke fun at RFK Jr's poetry, who will? And what's next, are they gonna start taking satire lessons?

I think the key here is to just acknowledge that this whole thing is ridiculous and move on . Let's focus on something else... like how ridiculous those metaphors were .

oh man this thing with rfk jr is like something out of a parody film the americans need to get over themselves and just have some fun with it his "erotic poetry" is just cringeworthy enough that we should all be laughing at him, not taking it seriously and yeah olivia nuzzi's memoir is just begging for a meme the press needs to lighten up and join in on the joke, not try to take themselves too seriously and honestly who else is gonna make fun of these politicians but us? so let's all just enjoy the absurdity of it all and have a good laugh

Oh man, can you believe Robert F Kennedy Jr's "erotic poetry"? It's like he took every bad teenage poem and mashed them all together . The media is so serious about this scandal, it's like they're trying to be tone-deaf or something . I mean, come on, Olivia Nuzzi's book is like a parody of an Edith Wharton novel - the bamboo plant metaphor is just too much .

Americans need to learn how to not take themselves so seriously when it comes to scandals like this. I mean, if you can't poke fun at your own politicians, who will? It's time for the press to lighten up and join in on the joke. Let's all just take a deep breath and acknowledge that RFK Jr's poetry is just too ridiculous to be taken seriously .

I'm literally dying over here . Like, come on America! Can't we just poke fun at ourselves for once? This whole thing with RFK Jr's "poetry" is just too rich – I mean, who writes erotic poetry and thinks it's deep? It's like a meme waiting to happen.

The fact that people are still taking this stuff seriously is what's so hilarious. Olivia Nuzzi's book is like something out of a parody novel – all those metaphors about wildfires and emotional ashes... Ryan Lizza with the bamboo plant... I need more of this in my life!

It's time for us to lighten up and not take everything so seriously. If we can't laugh at ourselves, who will? The press needs to get on board with this joke ASAP – it's too late for me to contain my giggles . Let's just enjoy the absurdity of it all!

RFK Jr's erotic poetry debacle is a perfect example of Americans being too serious about themselves. It's like they're trying to take a joke and make everyone else feel awkward . News outlets are struggling to keep a straight face, but even they can't resist getting in on the fun . The media needs to lighten up and learn to laugh at themselves – after all, if we can't poke fun at our politicians, who will? This scandal is just too ridiculous not to make a joke about . Americans need to get better at enjoying the absurdity of life and not taking everything so seriously .