SNL ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ parody skewers men who don’t get it

Last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Chris Pine, had a skit parodying The Handmaid’s Tale and how a lot of people in our society just don’t seem to get how serious the present political situation is for some people. The “Hey, just chill out” attitude of the men in this skit is so true to the dismissive attitude of many who, due to privilege, have never known what it’s like to have to live in fear and therefore simply cannot grasp what the big deal is. (What’s doubly frustrating about such people is that they’re not even able to see how the magnitude of their privilege may blind them to real problems other people may be facing. They just assume that since they don’t get it, it must not be real or it must not exist.)

Negative responses to this SNL Handmaid’s Tale parody are similar to negative responses to the show in general, claiming that the actions of Trump and the GOP are a far cry from the theocratic totalitarian regime depicted in the show and book. But while it’s true our reality may not yet be quite as bad as the one depicted in the skit (and the show it is parodying), sometimes it takes exaggeration and satire to drive a point home – and to serve as catharsis for those who, like the women in this skit, are frustrated to no end by the inability or the unwillingness of some people to understand.