Since when did we need a permission slip to tell a joke?
Suddenly it feels like everything has to be politically correct and safe. It feels like our jokes are not allowed to have grit and edge anymore because it might hurt someone's feelings or "trigger" them, whatever that means. What used to be a simple joke now has to conform to a checklist of child friendliness, racial sensitivity, cultural awareness and all other sorts of things that take away from what makes something funny.
I personally experienced this while performing stand-up. In one of my jokes, I said that I was an outcast throughout high school: I couldn't hang out with the jocks because I wasn't cool enough and I couldn't hang out with the theater kids because I wasn't gay enough. A lot of people laughed and I continued with my set. After I got off stage someone approached me and told me that I shouldn't have performed because this one joke was offensive to people who are gay. I explained that my joke was mostly self-deprecating and I was sorry it offended them. I wasn't really sure what else to say. I quickly left to avoid further confrontation.
An underlying rule of comedy is that it is based in misery. It is funny when bad things happen to other people. Mel Brooks once said, "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." This cathartic enjoyment at the expense of others is the backbone of a good joke. It can be anything from seeing someone get injured to poking fun at a stereotype.
Now I know what some people are thinking: "Well, what about the people who are the butt of the joke? They don't think it's funny.They are offended." That is a fair and valid point. And quite frankly the solution is not one you are going to like.
Get over it.
That's all there is to it. Sometimes you are telling the joke, sometimes you are the joke. The important thing is to realize that not everything disagreeable is hate speech. Certain races do certain things. Different genders act different ways. These are the building blocks of jokes. Maybe the people who get offended over a joke are the people who need to learn to laugh at themselves. The people who fight for political correctness and sensitivity should unwind a bit and understand that no group or culture is flawless. Learning to accept these flaws and laugh at them is the first step to overcoming them. If the only thing comedians ever did were praise people and play it safe, we never would have had the great masters of comedy like George Carlin who wasn't afraid to tell it like it was or the legendary Richard Pryor who jokes about the shortcomings of both white and black people. Both these iconic comedians fought to keep their art uncensored against oppressors who claimed their work was offensive. Pryor put it best when he said, "You work your butt off and somebody says you can't have your record played because it offends them. Tyrants are made of such stuff."
Comedy is an art. Like all great arts, it faces the threat of censorship from minds that don't understand the power of expression. Paintings show nudity, film shows violence, and comedy is offensive. Those who can't understand this should try enjoying a different art form, like coloring, because these types of people are basically children.
A picture I posted to my wall. (I was later informed that this is a symbol for a rap group. Sue me, I grew up in the suburbs.)
And this was the response I got back.
