Comedians have always been people I have admired. It always amazed me how one person had the power of words to make thousands of people laugh until they cry, laugh until they can't breathe, or laugh like they have never laughed before. In the time I have been alive I have seen a cultural shift in comedy. When I was younger there was less policing of jokes and comedians were able to just tell jokes without any consequences. As I grew up, when there was an increase in technological and social network advancements, I began to see a cultural shift which was: outrage culture. Some of the greatest comedians are Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Eddie Murphy, and Trevor Noah. While they are some of the greats and consume most of Netflix's budget, they receive some of the most flack, critique, and public and media criticism. I have the solution, if you're too sensitive or easily offended just don't go to comedy shows or watch comedians online.
Comedians are entertainers and comedy is a form of art. The nature of their job is to be provocative, disruptive, sarcastic and satirical. I don't believe that comedians should be censored, and I also don't believe we could live in a world without comedy. Comedians are not afraid to say what is and what isn't. Comedians are notorious for getting public and media criticism for saying certain jokes or punch lines that are deemed "offensive". I understand the notion that "there is truth to every joke" but I still don't think comedians should be censored similarly, I don't think any content creators or entertainers should be censored.
When comedians say "offensive" things, in the blink of an eye they will be trending on social media and labeled "racist" or "sexist". This is due to outrage culture or call out culture which is driven and reinforced by all social media platforms and media outlets. I believe that outrage culture stunts creativity and art because people have to walk on thin ice and stop and consider what they can and cannot say. At the end of the day, comedians are people and all people have their own implicit biases and ignorance.
I believe that outrage culture is killing comedy and I also believe the current generation is filled with snowflakes. To me, the snowflake generation is more than just sensitive people, it is sensitive people who are always on the lookout for something to be outraged by. In fact, many of these same people are quick to misconstrue jokes, take jokes out of their proper context, and think that everyone is always out to hurt them. Instead of using ignorance as a teaching moment, these people would rather humiliate the comedian for their joke. A clear indicator that outrage culture is killing comedy is when comedians have to start off their show with, "sorry if this offends you". Next time a joke, meme, or viral tweet offends you, be cognizant of how you address it. Are you perpetuating the problem of outrage culture or addressing ignorance with a teaching moment?
