# 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:** 8
**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 10, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/141 "2020-08-10T00:40:41Z")
i thought that was stupid too ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/142 "2020-08-10T01:06:26Z")
The eldest male comics are brining up the rear of wokeness, but they’ve pulled it off with respect to everything except for sexism, feminism, patriarchy, etc. So they see themselves as having made great leaps forward, getting nothing for their trouble, and having reams of “perfectly good material” that they can’t use anymore. In hindsight you can always see it. 100% certain Seinfeld turns out to be some kind of sex creep with some sketchy lawsuit settlements in his past. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/143 "2020-08-10T01:08:01Z")
Seinfeld publicly dated a teenager in the 1990s. ---
**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 10, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/144 "2020-08-10T01:12:13Z")
Better ban “Seinfeld” off all streaming services. ---
**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 10, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/145 "2020-08-10T01:21:24Z")
Why do you keep doing that? I thought you were going to stop with the exaggerations. ---
**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 10, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/146 "2020-08-10T01:36:16Z")
Jerry Seinfield was just accused of being a pedophile. Why wouldn’t we ban him from all streaming services? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/147 "2020-08-10T01:40:25Z")
17 years old. ---
**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 10, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/148 "2020-08-10T01:42:29Z")
so you stating jerry senfield is a pedophile. a criminal offense. ---
**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 10, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/149 "2020-08-10T01:52:16Z")
I’m glad i’m not Jerry Seinfield in this non existent “cancel culture”. He’s gone from just an old man telling old jokes, to a homophobe telling gay french king jokes, and now he’d a criminal. just in this thread. But you all are right, there’s no such thing as “cancel culture” ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/150 "2020-08-10T02:12:09Z")
> [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > But you all are right, there’s no such thing as “cancel culture” He just had a Netflix special, so obviously there isn’t as applies to him. ---
**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 10, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/151 "2020-08-10T02:13:29Z")
He’s rich. So what if he’s being publicly accused of pedophilia? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/152 "2020-08-10T02:14:23Z")
You are dragging those goalposts all over creation at this point. ---
**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 10, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/153 "2020-08-10T02:21:50Z")
I’d say the same thing. Every example of a comic losing a job is dismissed as a one time thing that doesn’t really affect them. There is no such thing as cancel culture. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/154 "2020-08-10T02:29:43Z")
So ‘cancel culture’ is ‘people sometimes say mean things about you on a message board’? Or ‘sometimes you don’t get a job you want’? Since there are at least 2500 comics in the US, when only one of them gets a particular job, is that 2499 instances of cancel culture destroying their career since all of the rest didn’t get that job? If I decide to become a comedian tomorrow and don’t get the gig I want, hosting the Academy Awards, can I now claim to be a victim of cancel culture even if the real reason I didn’t get the gig is that I don’t actually have credibility as a comic? > [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > I’m glad i’m not Jerry Seinfield in this non existent “cancel culture”. He’s gone from just an old man telling old jokes, to a homophobe telling gay french king jokes, and now he’d a criminal. just in this thread. Incidentally, unless the search function on this board is misleading me, no one but you on this thread has accused him of being a homophobe. People said that the joke was out of touch with people today, and that it might have worked decades ago when just saying ‘gay’ could get laughs, but you’re the only one calling him a homophobe for it. This is actually a pretty good example of what ‘cancel culture’ complaints are like though - people say ‘this guy is out of touch and not funny, here’s how the joke flopped’ and you respond with ‘OMG cancel culture, you’re calling him a homophobe for telling gay french king jokes!’. In addition to not being entitled to every job they want, comedians are not entitled to have everyone laugh at every joke they make. Crying ‘cancel culture ruined me’ when a joke flops is just pathetic. ---
**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 10, 2020, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/155 "2020-08-10T02:31:07Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > 17 years old. i must have misunderstood this post ---
**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 10, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/156 "2020-08-10T02:38:38Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > In the first case, it’s just a bad joke. What “gay French king” is part of the public consciousness that a hand gesture will evoke that image? There is none. “Gay French king” is not a thing. It doesn’t evoke any associations in my mind. That makes it seem like “gay” (and “French”) are supposed to be intrinsically funny. and this one. ---
**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 10, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/157 "2020-08-10T02:40:00Z")
> [@Bacon\_Cheeseburger](#): > > i must have misunderstood this post I hesitate to speak for **needscoffee** , but the clarification that the comedian’s date was 17 years old obviates the accusation of being a pedophile. By definition, pedophilia involves sexual interest in prepubescent children (less than 13 yo). A 17yo is not prepubescent nor 13yo or less, therefore dating her would be creepy, but not criminal or mental illness. Please note, I am in no way defending his choices or actions. ---
**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 10, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/158 "2020-08-10T02:42:02Z")
Statutory rape then. ---
**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 10, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/159 "2020-08-10T03:02:20Z")
Statutory rape is sexual intercourse with someone under the age of legal consent. In US that varies. Most states that is 16 or 17. Only eight states use the age of 18, so unless he was in one of those states, he couldn’t have been found guilty of that either. Of course that presumes that it could be proven that sexual intercourse even occurred. Gonna have to move those goal posts again… ---
**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 10, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271/160 "2020-08-10T03:08:25Z")
I know you can’t speak for needscoffee, but why do you suppose he would bring up “17 years old”? Would it somehow validate all his arguments about “cancel culture” being non-existent if jerry seinfield was a pervert that dated 17 year olds? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-and-cancel-culture/917271.md?page=9)