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Comment by karlgkk

1 day ago

Often when someone, especially a comedian, complains about “political correctness”, what they actually mean is: nobody is laughing at the same joke I told 20 years ago

Sensibilities change. The sense of what is and isn’t punching down changes. Even the appetite for punching down changes.

People who whine about “PC” always pretend like it’s the death of comedy or speech or whatever, and yet… there are younger people building great careers!

And yes, there is a real worrying erosion of free speech - but 98% these people could keep saying exactly what they’ve been saying - they’re just not getting the laughs they think they’re entitled to.

15 comments

karlgkk

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vanviegen  1 day ago

> Sensibilities change. The sense of what is and isn’t punching down changes. Even the appetite for punching down changes.

Yes, and the way it changes tells us something about our society, which I believe this article is trying to address.

clown_strike  21 hours ago

> Often when someone, especially a comedian, complains about “political correctness”, what they actually mean is: nobody is laughing at the same joke I told 20 years ago

Don't rephrase others' sentiments to suit your own narrative. Soothsayers are bullshitters.

When comedians complain about political correctness, there is no alternate meaning. They are upset that they can't tell the same jokes they told 20 years ago, to the same audiences from 20 years ago that continue to enjoy them, because external forces mob, heckle, and harass them so they cannot serve their customers...

...which conveniently provides opportunities for those younger people to "build great careers," by eliminating all legacy competition.

In any other context it'd be driving the local kebab shop owner out of town because someone with influence wants to open a salad bar in its place.

It's mob rule, not "social justice."

  • djeastm  20 hours ago

    >mob rule

    Unless there's some kind of threat of physical force involved it's not. It's just a critical mass of people having opinions you don't like and voicing those opinions.

    If the market of ideas decides your ideas are not valuable anymore for whatever reason you're going to suffer what scarcity feels like.

    • StopDisinfo910  19 hours ago

      > Unless there's some kind of threat of physical force involved

      Last time I checked the mob called for these people lives to be destroyed by asking for them to lose all possibility of ever having a job and threatening anyone who would employ them or support them of dire repercussions while slapping themselves in the back for what a positive impact they made.

      So yes, it’s very much about threat of violence.

      2 replies →

  • ruszki  8 hours ago

    Except of course, it really shouldn’t be funny according to anybody the sole fact that somebody is gay. About what most of these “comedians” arguing for. Even according to the massive amount of disinformation in this topic.

    I don’t know why the author included that in the article when the distaste for self-loathing humour can have completely different causes. And also can be quite good reasons, like you cannot really do anything against those, not against the bad environment into which you’re born, and also not against being gay. But that would be against the fabricated outrage, which is enjoyed by many. Probably even by the author.

    Just to mention one example that these can have reasons not suggested by disinformation (because for example, it would be against their sources): in Hungary, joking about corruption is dead. Completely. The reason is twofold: Orban stole about 30% of the whole economy in the past 15 years, and that doesn’t include the stolen cash. Also people who care, couldn’t do anything, even when some of us tried. It’s like being gay (in this context), it’s totally out of your control, and there is no chance to change it in any way. Now that I moved to somewhere with healthier democracy, I’m quite happy that I see jokes about corruption again.

  • karlgkk  18 hours ago

    “Mob rule” is just how conservatives say “I shouldn’t face consequences”. Freedom doesn’t include freedom from repercussions

Chris2048  1 day ago

> Sensibilities change

If people are literally calling the police, they aren't changing, they are being suppressed/punished.

> they’re just not getting the laughs they think they’re entitled to

Why are the comedians 'entitled' rather than the people who go to their show and complain?