On Monday, conservative blogger and comedian Allie Stuckey posted the following video. I want to warn anybody who has developed an emotional investment in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and feels deeply protective of her: You will not enjoy this.

Enlightening & hard-hitting interview with Socialist “it girl” and fellow millennial, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. pic.twitter.com/4txoxwqql6 — Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) July 23, 2018

Did you see what Stuckey did there? She took existing footage of a recent interview with Ocasio-Cortez, inserted clips of herself supposedly asking the questions, and used the results to poke mild fun at the latest Democrat darling. I’ll let you be the judge of how funny it is, but it’s obviously not meant to be taken for a real interview. Stuckey isn’t trying to mislead you into thinking it really happened. Whether you enjoy it or not, it’s self-evidently satirical.

This isn’t exactly a new technique. Comedians have been doing these sorts of fake interviews for decades. Here’s Weird Al Yankovic “interviewing” Eminem:

Here’s Zach Galifianakis “interviewing” celebrities at a movie premiere:

More recently, here’s Stephen Colbert “interviewing” Donald Trump:

I’m sure there are many, many other examples. It’s a time-honored comedy bit.

Again, you can decide for yourself how funny these fake interviews are, but clearly they’re not meant to be serious. Nobody’s trying to fool you into thinking the interview subjects actually gave those answers to those questions. It’s a joke. And a joke is a joke even if you don’t think it’s funny. (See: James Gunn)

But none of that counts because Ocasio-Cortez is the future of the Democratic Party, and that’s not funny, and how dare you spread fake news, etc. That’s been the reaction from our moral, ethical, and intellectual betters at places like Vox, the NYT, WaPo, and other news outlets that swoon every time a satirist COMPLETELY DESTROYS a Republican:

Wow. This is Ocasio-Cortez’s PBS intv w/ Margaret Hoover (https://t.co/OhjfHuWqQC) spliced together w/ a CRTV “interviewer.” Notice that they never appear on camera together, and the interviewer shot is lit different + higher res? Took 1min on google to sort out. Reprehensible. https://t.co/khu8uXQnpV — AJ (@ajchavar) July 24, 2018

This faked interview of @Ocasio2018 by @CRTV has nearly 1 million views on Facebook. In less than 24 hours. Interview didn’t happen. It takes clips from @MargaretHoover‘s show and edits in faux questions. Not labeled satire (other than a 😉 emoji).https://t.co/ipUPsOoyLH — Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) July 24, 2018

New: After I posted this, CRTV has updated the Facebook posting with the language: “Update: Yes, this is satire created from excerpts of the viral Firing Line interview with Ocasio-Cortez.” — Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) July 24, 2018

Viral Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Video Proves Facebook Has No Fake News Solution https://t.co/MEFLs4MwPc via @observer — Luke O’Neil (@lukeoneil47) July 24, 2018

Ocasio-Cortez herself was furious, using the apparently now-standard line that anybody who mocks or criticizes her is just “scared”:

Republicans are so scared of me that they’re faking videos and presenting them as real on Facebook because they can’t deal with reality anymore. Here’s one bonafide truth:

Election Day is November 6th. https://t.co/Z7MfisgiWl — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) July 24, 2018

Stuckey is reacting to the ridiculous nontroversy the way every target of an outrage mob should react:

To clarify AGAIN for the misreporting journalists & the blue checkmarks demanding an explanation: 1) I am not sorry.

2) It’s not coming down.

3) I will make another one.

4) You don’t have to hate Trump to use humor.

5) I don’t have to warn you when I’m about to tell a joke. https://t.co/rnm3TPNy3i — Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) July 25, 2018

I don’t know what all these Dems are worried about. The Notorious AOC is a socialist running for Congress in New York’s 14th District. The November election is just a formality. She’s already been coronated.

You can relax, guys.

Here’s something that politicians don’t want you to think about: You don’t owe them anything. They have to earn your vote. You’re under no obligation whatsoever to defend them. If they screw up, it’s okay to admit it. If they get owned, you don’t have to take it personally. That’s true whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, a socialist, a MAGA-head, or anybody else.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not your friend. No politician on Earth is worth getting this upset about. Wise up.

Or don’t! It’s irritating, but at least I keep getting blog posts out of it.