“We need to break this endless, unforgiving, zero-tolerance mindset”
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Comedian and TV host Bill Maher targets people who want to censor comedians or smack them for jokes they don’t like.
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Not only did Maher take on the controversy surrounding Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over a joke aimed at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher, but also comedians performing in general.
He pointed to the problems faced by comedians like Dave Chappelle, Roseanne Barr, Gilbert Gottfried, Sarah Silverman and Nimesh Patel, who was pulled from the stage during a performance at Columbia University because of a joke someone found offensive.
“The people who can’t take a joke now aren’t old ladies in the Bible Belt. They’re Gen Z at elite colleges,” Maher said. “Kids used to go to college and lose their virginity. Now they’re losing their sense of humor.”
Maher said comedians are destined to push boundaries and push the envelope, but are increasingly constrained by the urge to make sure no one is offended.
“Soon there will be nothing to joke about like airline food and Starbucks getting your name wrong,” Maher said.
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While some liberals have denied that there is such a thing as an abortion culture, Maher, who wears his liberal policies on his sleeve, has been a harsh critic of the movement, which sees people being fired or drummed out of civil society because they say the wrong thing or hold what others think are the wrong views.
“We need to break this endless, unforgiving, zero-tolerance mindset that seeks to punish and evict anyone caught saying the wrong thing. The right response to language you don’t like is more language, not the lazy, cowardly response of turning people off,” Maher said.
He pointed to the late comedian George Carlin, known for being aggressive, abusive and incredibly funny, as someone who wouldn’t like today’s cancel culture.
“It’s good that George Carlin is dead because today the seven words you can’t say on TV is, ‘Jada, I can’t wait for GI Jane 2,'” Maher said.
He concluded his monologue on his Friday night show by saying those who break culture and demand apologies owe the rest of us an apology for the jokes we’ll never hear in today’s climate.
bliley@postmedia.com