On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher argued that “The people who can’t take a joke now aren’t old ladies in the Bible Belt. They’re Gen Z at elite colleges.” And that losing out on jokes and thoughts over self-censorship “are the invisible scars of cancel culture.”
After pointing out that Will Smith initially laughed at Chris Rock’s joke at the Oscars before getting offended because his wife was upset, Maher stated, “I’ve seen the same syndrome happen in comedy clubs, woke hecklers who literally have to wait for the laughter to die down before they yell, ‘That’s not funny!’ This war on jokes must end. Will Smith didn’t get kicked out of the Oscars for going Ike Turner on Chris, but Kevin Hart got kicked out of hosting it for a joke. Who are these people who say cancel culture isn’t a real thing? Just among comedians who’ve gotten fired and lost gigs for exercising their freedom of expression, the toll is high. Gilbert Gottfried and Kathy Griffin were tasteless. So what? That’s why we like them. Comedians are the ones testing where the line is, we can’t always be perfect any more than Tom Brady will never throw an interception.”
He later added, “The people who can’t take a joke now aren’t old ladies in the Bible Belt. They’re Gen Z at elite colleges. Colleges, where comedy goes to die. Kids used to go to college and lose their virginity. Now they go to lose their sense of humor. … Judd Apatow has an awesome new documentary coming here to HBO about George Carlin, owner of the most famous 180 in comedy history, when he turned his back on a lucrative career in nightclubs in order to let his hair down and be himself in front of a younger crowd who welcomed irreverence. … Oh George, it’s a good thing you’re dead. Because today, the seven words you can’t say on TV are Jada, can’t wait for ‘G.I. Jane 2.’ For all those who are constantly demanding an apology for jokes, maybe it’s you who should apologize to us for all the great jokes that we never got to hear, the brilliant thoughts that were never uttered. Those are the invisible scars of cancel culture.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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