# Stand Up Comics and Cancel Culture **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 4, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271 "2020-08-04T19:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/41 "2020-08-06T20:38:18Z")
Neither Silverman nor Seinfeld are good examples. You already pointed out that Silverman changed her tune. But Seinfeld claims he never said it at all. Here’s an interview with Ricky Gervais where he claims the exact opposite–that it’s part of a comedian’s job to update their jokes to work based on what an audience would find funny, and that people who complain about being too PC just aren’t good comics. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YTadkn45Y0I/maxresdefault.jpg "Jerry Seinfeld Clarifies his Comments About Not Performing at Colleges") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTadkn45Y0I) And, [near the end](https://youtu.be/YTadkn45Y0I?t=183), he claims that he was misquoted, and that he merely said that someone told him that colleges were too PC, not that he himself agreed. As he says, people have always found some things offensive and not funny. I add that there have always been people who were so offended they wanted the comedian “cancelled.” Parents tried to get South Park cancelled, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/42 "2020-08-06T21:14:52Z")
As for the general topic: I have another video. This time from a former Cracked columnist and comedian. He flat out asks for an example of someone who has actually been cancelled–someone famous who actually no longer has a career merely for saying something bad. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/szybEhqUmVI/maxresdefault.jpg "Cancel Culture Isn't A Thing, You Snowflakes - Some More News") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szybEhqUmVI) Sure, he argues, some people have lost a gig or had a period where they had to back off for a while. But every last one of them came back swinging. And many people who deserve to be cancelled, like, say, Chris Brown for what he did to Rihanna, are still out there. All that happened is that rich, famous people started experiencing SOME consequences for saying shitty things. Or saying shitty things and refusing to apologize. The guy opposes mob justice. He opposes the idea of anyone losing their career over saying one bad thing. But he also argues it’s never actually happened. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/43 "2020-08-06T21:16:34Z")
> [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > You don’t think the entire “cancel culture” thing had a teensy weensy bit to do with her change of heart. You might say yes and that’s great. we must call out these racist/sexist/homophobes and shame them publicly until they succumb to our demands. No one has ever been clear on what exactly ‘cancel culture’ even is, or what it does. There’s a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth about how bad ‘cancel culture’ is, but here it appears that what ‘cancel culture’ did was not stop her from getting rich with a wildly successful career, including starring in a major disney film, and eventually it got her to realize that telling racist jokes is pretty silly so she stopped telling them of her own accord. Oh, and ‘cancel culture’ also seems to be responsible for ending the reign of comedy as a ‘boy’s club’, so it actually seems to have boosted her career a lot. So… she had a hugely successful career, which appears to have benefited greatly from ‘cancel culture’, and eventually became a better person and now regrets feeding bigoted people’s prejudices by telling bigoted jokes even though she didn’t intend to? I don’t get these cancel culture complaints, every time someone comes up with an example of the dangers of ‘cancellation’ it makes me want to get cancelled right into huge buckets of money. > [@](#): > > I always found her funny. including today. Never found her especially funny myself. Most of the comedy of hers that I have seen came off as ‘look at me I’m so sweet looking but Sooooo Shocking! That means I don’t need a real joke!’, though “I’m fucking Matt Damon” was pretty hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/44 "2020-08-06T21:22:37Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I’m not sure what you’re arguing here. Are you saying we shouldn’t stop giving racists, sexists, and homophobes a platform, or we should stop? Should racists, sexists, and homophobes be encouraged to do better or not? I’m saying maybe they aren’t racist/sexist/homophobes for commenting on our society or human foibles. Keep in mind in the OP i specifically excluded Andrew Dice Clay types. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/45 "2020-08-06T21:30:45Z")
Where would a Howard Stern land in all your estimations? Certainly said alot of “shocking” things in his career, but has toned things down things and has said, as Silverman said, he probably wouldn’t say those same things today. But the show can still be quite offensive to sensitive ears. > [@Pantastic](#): > > Never found her especially funny myself. Most of the comedy of hers that I have seen came off as ‘look at me I’m so sweet looking but Sooooo Shocking! That means I don’t need a real joke!’, though “I’m fucking Matt Damon” was pretty hilarious. who is favorite stand up comic? or name several ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/46 "2020-08-06T22:48:38Z")
Right, but maybe Howard Stern toned it down because he’s learned more or because gay people, for example, are more out and about. I’ve certainly learned more about how hard some gay people have had it – from beatings and murders to the horror of gay conversion therapy. Maybe, when Howard Stern learned about that crap, he decided he didn’t want any part of a culture that encourages that. Substitute gays with lesbians, minorities, etc., and you can come to the same conclusion. So, apparently Jerry Seinfeld was misunderstood, Stern and Silverman have both adjusted with the times, so I’m not really sure who we should be discussing at this point. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/47 "2020-08-06T22:54:14Z")
You can give [Joe Lycett](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWjdZYKf3ts) a stern talking to. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/48 "2020-08-06T23:59:04Z")
Well, first of all, he’s pansexual and bisexual, so it’s a little easier for him to get away with it. Second, he’s British, where they don’t seem to have, for example, gay conversion therapy being pushed by the governor. Yes, different countries have different mores. Try doing an anti-God joke in Iran or something. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/49 "2020-08-07T00:44:17Z")
I thought we were discussing whether gay jokes could be funny. Not who can get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/50 "2020-08-07T00:47:21Z")
Oh, fair enough. I thought you were responding to me. I agree that any subject can be funny. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/51 "2020-08-07T00:55:21Z")
I’m confused too. Plenty of gay jokes on the Howard Stern jokes. Now he just prefaces stuff with not that there’s anything wrong with gays type statements. Bill Burr, talks about his “black friends” and proceeds to tell racist jokes about them, bit its ok because he has black friends.? Lisa Lampenelli dates black guys so its ok to make jokes about them ruining her credit? ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/52 "2020-08-07T00:55:47Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I agree that any subject can be funny. Politely, I request to differ. Rape, domestic abuse, personal violence jokes are never funny. Disability or special ed jokes are never funny. ✌🏼 ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/53 "2020-08-07T01:03:08Z")
How about dead baby jokes? I wouldn’t tell one to a couple that just lost a child. But i think dead baby jokes can be funny. Gallows humor. Tasteless, rude, crude, impolite, but still funny in some context. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/54 "2020-08-07T02:13:12Z")
> [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > I wouldn’t tell one to a couple that just lost a child. But i think dead baby jokes can be funny. The problem is you don’t always know whether any one in hearing distance of a dead baby joke has just lost a baby-miscarriages can be a loss of a baby yet not known. Been there, done that. A grandparent may have just driven her daughter home from the hospital because of a miscarriage-you won’t know that by looking at them. Been there and done that too. I’m an old NICU nurse, I’ve sat with too many parents of babies who have died. Dead baby jokes are never ok or safe. Just don’t, please. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/55 "2020-08-07T02:15:46Z")
Is this funny? What has 4 legs and goes “HO DI DO HO DI DO”? Two Americans of African Ancestry whose ancestors were forcibly transported to the Americas as slaves, and endured centuries of racism, in all manner of life including education, and thus developed their own dialect of American English, as other ethnic groups have…running for the elevator? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/56 "2020-08-07T02:16:38Z")
No, not really. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/57 "2020-08-07T02:17:58Z")
I agree ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/58 "2020-08-07T02:31:12Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > The problem is you don’t always know whether any one in hearing distance of a dead baby joke has just lost a baby-miscarriages can be a loss of a baby yet not known. Been there, done that. A grandparent may have just driven her daughter home from the hospital because of a miscarriage-you won’t know that by looking at them. Been there and done that too. I’m an old NICU nurse, I’ve sat with too many parents of babies who have died. Dead baby jokes are never ok or safe. Just don’t, please. You should probably avoid comedy clubs. Jim Gaffigan, who is pretty straight laced uncontroversial and successful comedian, does this this schtick where he mimmicks an audience member’s disapproving comments about his jokes. “oh, he told a dead baby joke, he’s going to hell” I’m still curious what stand up comics others think are politically correct and funny? ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/59 "2020-08-07T03:11:33Z")
> [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > You should probably avoid comedy clubs. If I was in any kind of fresh grief, I would certainly avoid comedy clubs as a form of self-care. My request about dead baby jokes was more about forswearing them at gatherings and social events and in casual conversations, because you just don’t know who might hear it. Patrons at a club are fair game, although surely there are enough other edgy topics to joke about. Corpse jokes are ok, just not dead baby jokes. > [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > oh, he told a dead baby joke, he’s going to hell” JRTR, this is not what I was saying or think. There are few words I would consign someone to hell for and those aren’t among them. Not even close. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ebca7d/32.png) [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Cheeseburger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/60 "2020-08-07T03:22:28Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Dead baby jokes are never ok or safe. I said i wouldn’t go around telling dead baby jokes to people who just lost a child. I am not trying to minimize the pain and suffering people people feel when they lose a child. But gallows humor does exist and (some) people find it funny. It is the absolutism of your comment, and other people’s comments, i am taking issue with. Dead baby jokes are never ok. gay jokes are never ok, race jokes are never ok. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271.md?page=4)