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Culture June 26, 2018
Discrimination is no joke.
There’s always someone or something at the end of a punchline. At times, it can seem like comedy and offensive jokes go hand in hand. Audience members have to choose between criticizing their favorite comedians and making exceptions for the profession; after all, someone’s career does depend on these jokes.
But comedy shouldn’t be an exception. Jokes at another person’s expense can still harm others even if they’re made in good fun. There are ways to be funny without perpetuating stereotypes. However, while we should criticize all comedy, not all offenses are equal. The question is not “is comedy the exception” but rather “where do we draw the line?”
The line is different for everybody, but my personal judgment depends on how a comedian reacts to and handles their mistakes. If a comedian sincerely apologizes for their harm, I forgive them. If a comedian does not apologize, but the offensive joke is an outlying incident, I criticize. And if a comedian repeatedly makes offensive jokes and refuses to apologize, I condemn.
Using this guideline, let’s examine some comedians who have made offensive jokes.
Most Americans regard Ellen DeGeneres as an unproblematic figure and a champion of LGBTQ+ rights. She is also known for her kind humor. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, DeGeneres says “I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that. I really want my time here to be positive and productive.”
Despite her good intentions, DeGeneres is not without controversy. In 2016, DeGeneres sparked uproar for tweeting a photoshopped picture of her riding on the back of Usain Bolt, Olympic gold runner. One criticism called out DeGeneres for depicting a black man as a “common mule.” Some fans defended DeGeneres, while others took offense and condemned her. After the backlash, DeGeneres tweeted, “I am highly aware of the racism that exists in our country. It is the furthest thing from who I am.”
It seems that DeGeneres did not intend to offend. Even more importantly, she didn’t realize that there was anyone at the butt of the joke. When writing comedy, comedians are often aware of the people they are mocking and decide to make the joke anyway. In this case, DeGeneres hadn’t realized there was an underlying message to the primary point she was making. Her intentions were pure.
However, even with her good intentions, her response to the backlash was weak. Despite the oppression she encounters as a queer woman, DeGeneres still has white privilege. She does not know what it’s like to face racism in this country. Even if she did not intend to be racist, the correct response to outrage should be evaluating actions and apologizing for any pain caused. She only defends.
My ruling? Criticize, but don’t condemn. This joke was an outlier to DeGeneres’ usual comedy. If she had apologized, I would find her largely unproblematic. Since she hadn’t, I will still love, support and watch Ellen DeGeneres, but I will also stay wary of her actions.
John Mulaney creates great content at the expense of himself instead of others. Watching his Netflix specials “New in Town,” “Comeback Kid” and “Kid Gorgeous,” you can easily gather his style. Creative, unique and largely self-critical, most of Mulaney’s jokes center around humorous perspectives of the world (“Donald Trump is like a horse loose in a hospital”) and awkward situations he has experienced. Most of his sketches are funny without offense.
However, he has made a few jokes that verge on problematic. In one sketch during his show “New in Town,” Mulaney debates the consequences of using the word “midget.” He states:
“On a major TV show, you have to be careful about what you say about people, because a lot of people can get offended, or so it has been explained to me. I was writing for an awards show once, and I got into some trouble. I wrote a joke for this award show that had the word ‘midget’ in it. And someone from the network came down to our offices, and he said… ‘Midget is as bad as the n-word.’ First off, no. No, it’s not. ‘Do you know how I know it’s not?’ I said to him. ‘…because we’re saying the word midget, and we’re not even saying what the n-word is.'”
He then goes on to say, “Midgets were never enslaved…unless you count the Wonka factory.”
In contrast to DeGeneres’ tweet on Usain Bolt, Mulaney’s bit about the Wonka factory intends on putting those with dwarfism at the butt of the joke. There is no apology because Mulaney does not care. Although it may be true that the “n-word” is seen by the general public as more offensive than the word “midget” some organizations, like Little People of America, have publicly asked to “remove ‘midget’ from everyday vernacular.” It does not matter if African Americans are considered to have a more oppressive history than this group. People with dwarfism and others that suffer from disorders or disabilities still face discrimination.
I do not think that Mulaney’s bit was necessary for his act, and I disapprove of it. However, despite this joke, and despite his lack of an apology, I think this joke reflects his ignorance and not his character. Again: criticize, but don’t condemn.
Amy Schumer is no stranger to controversy. Many criticize Schumer for acting like a “white feminist”. In 2016, Tammy Pescatelli, Kathleen Madigan and Wendy Liebman tweeted accusations at Schumer for stealing their jokes. On top of all this, some could say her comedy veers into hurtful territory.
To me, Schumer’s jokes in the “Roast of Charlie Sheen” particularly stand out as offensive. While roasts are meant to be painful, it’s possible that Schumer goes beyond what is necessary. She makes fun of Patrice O’Neal’s diabetes, saying that the roast was “also a farewell party to Patrice’s foot!” After this, she touches on the death of Steve Glover’s (or Steve-O’s) friend Ryan Dunn, telling him:
“But I truly am, no joke, sorry for the loss of your friend Ryan Dunn. I know you must have been thinking, ‘It could have been me’, and I know we were all thinking, ‘Why wasn’t it?'”
Glover does not smile.
Some critics also raise eyebrows at Schumer’s speech for the Gloria Awards and Gala in 2014. She describes a time in which she has sex with a guy named Matt. Before sex, Matt opens the door, and he’s “there, but not really. His face is kind of distorted, and his eyes seem like he can’t focus…”
The story sounds as though Matt wanted to have sex, but some question whether this sex can be deemed consensual. Amy describes Matt to be extremely “wasted” and not in his right mind. Can a guy consent like that under the influence?
Although we can never really know what happened with Matt that night, I think Amy’s consistency in these problematic jokes reveals something about her. I also believe that the questionable actions she may have committed are more serious than offensive jokes. What a person does, for me, is weightier than what a person says.
I don’t think I can really enjoy Amy’s comedy without being aware of her ignorance and character. My ruling? Criticize. And then condemn.
But why condemn at all? Why can’t we separate an artist from their art?
Because views show support and profit. The more publicity a comedian gains, the more job opportunities they get. When you watch a comedian’s show or view their YouTube videos, you inadvertently support them, even if you’re not directly giving them money. And a video’s number of views (ignoring the dislike button) shows that people are watching the material and liking it.
In certain cases, I would say separating the two is necessary. For example, in the case of dead comedians. They can’t redeem themselves, and they can’t continue to profit off their jokes (even if their family or other companies can). And sometimes analyzing their work can give important information about the history and culture of the time.
And there are probably other exceptions to these “rulings.” I should acknowledge that these are guidelines— not steadfast rules. But for the most part, I would say that comedians should feel the repercussions of their offensive jokes, and these guidelines are a good way to match the punishment to their crimes.
It’s also important to note that DeGeneres and Mulaney are some of the tamest comedians in the industry. Using these guidelines to criticize them may seem harsh compared to the jokes other celebrities have made. Despite this relativity, they are not without fault. While we shouldn’t ignore DeGeneres’ great work in activism and Mulaney’s overall goodwill, we also shouldn’t ignore their flaws.
At the end of the day, it’s your decision. You can avoid criticizing or condemning a problematic comedian if you’d like. But just as a comedians’ offensive jokes can reflect their character, the comedy you support can reflect yours. What an audience finds funny tells comedians who they’re allowed to hurt.
Let’s hold them, and ourselves, accountable.
