Down With Gourds

By: Connor Lenahan

Let’s just go ahead and say it – Last Week Tonight might be the best thing on TV right now. Every single week it turns in something wholly original and hysterical. Add in the fact that there is a mix of genuine news with tear-inducing jokes and you have something special. John Oliver is an incredible host and comedian who creates national conversations for the right reasons frequently. This week, only a week after going after the problems of civil forfeiture, he took on pumpkins. That’s right, he took a samurai sword to Jack-O-Lanterns.

With the singular exception of pumpkin pie, one of my favorite desserts and parts of Thanksgiving as a whole for reasons that admittedly are due in large part to ice cream, I could not agree more with Oliver. Pumpkin is the most overrated flavor of anything today. His point about the demand of pumpkin flavor is dead on. There’s a difference between Shamrock Shakes and Pumpkin Lattes. I want a Shamrock Shake all the time because mint is always good. I don’t want a Pumpkin Latte ever – I’m not a coffee guy – but I certainly don’t want one any time of year that I don’t see pumpkins around. It’s a seasonal food. It’s a routine craze. What’s the big commotion? Yeah I’m all in on being excited for fall – NFL, NBA, and World Series baseball? Hell yes. But why do we choose this lumpy orange thing to be obsessed with? I’d rather celebrate the awesomeness that is a fine sweater. I’m with Oliver here. Down with gourds. The madness ends now.