For my last weekend post a loyal reader of my blog posted this:
I know it's probably meant well, but this is racial primitivism under the guise of enlightenment.
When I saw that I thought, in this highly charged super PC atmosphere we find ourselves in now, that's going to cause a shitstorm. Sure enough. An avalanche of responses.
I am particularly sensitive to this because as a comedy writer if you can't write something for fear that it will offend someone then there's nothing to write. And it's gone beyond the offended person thinking the joke was merely inappropriate or in bad taste. Now the offender is often labeled. Racist. Homophobe. Whatever. In some cases that may be true, but I suspect in most it's an over-reaction. You've never in your life laughed at a racial joke? You've never mimicked a foreign accent? The truth is we can't all be Mr. Rogers, and who knows what ever he said or did behind closed doors?
This was addressed beautifully I thought in the Broadway musical, AVENUE Q (lyrics by Robert Lopez). Give a listen. And everybody, please, just lighten up. Thanks.
from By Ken Levine
I know it's probably meant well, but this is racial primitivism under the guise of enlightenment.
When I saw that I thought, in this highly charged super PC atmosphere we find ourselves in now, that's going to cause a shitstorm. Sure enough. An avalanche of responses.
I am particularly sensitive to this because as a comedy writer if you can't write something for fear that it will offend someone then there's nothing to write. And it's gone beyond the offended person thinking the joke was merely inappropriate or in bad taste. Now the offender is often labeled. Racist. Homophobe. Whatever. In some cases that may be true, but I suspect in most it's an over-reaction. You've never in your life laughed at a racial joke? You've never mimicked a foreign accent? The truth is we can't all be Mr. Rogers, and who knows what ever he said or did behind closed doors?
This was addressed beautifully I thought in the Broadway musical, AVENUE Q (lyrics by Robert Lopez). Give a listen. And everybody, please, just lighten up. Thanks.
from By Ken Levine
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