Cancel Culture and Comedy: Who Will Have the Last Laugh?
The Art of Comedy
Since its inception, the goal of comedy has always been the same: make your audience laugh. Dating as far back as 425 BCE, people have created plays and written stories with the intention of injecting humor into any situation possible. Humans are always changing and evolving — mentally, physically, socially. As humans grew over time, the art of comedy grew right along with us. Today, comedy has evolved into a complex dance of language and wit, allowing for people to dive into any corner of society, big or small, to make jokes and put smiles on peoples’ faces.
Comedy can be described in many ways, but the most important description is subjective. Comedy is something that can never be truly universal. Not everyone laughs at the same jokes, and that’s ok! The key to comedy is that good comedians know how to understand their audience. This is something that, with the growth of the internet and social media, seems to slip through our grasp. Not everything your peers find funny will be funny to you and vice versa.
While social media apps, like Twitter and Facebook, have created large platforms for comedians to easily create and share content, they’ve also created equally large platforms for masses of critics to share their thoughts. Critics are nothing new to the world of comedy, and I would argue that they’re actually an integral part of the industry. The great thing about comedy is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion; like I said before, comedy is subjective.
The difference, however, between traditional critics and the newer ones that have been created through the internet and social media is this narrative that every single person’s opinion should be taken into consideration. Remember: good comedians know their audience! They cannot (and probably should not) bend at the knee to cater to every single person who sees their standup act, movie, or show. Regardless of your job, you will simply never be able to make everyone happy.
Now, if you were to read a book that could summarize everything that happens on our planet, you would see, well, a lot of screwed up shit. And I mean… like… A LOT of screwed up shit. On one end, you’ve got your less serious problems, like misplaced keys, burnt popcorn, red lights that last just a little bit too long, and mothers who tell their 12 year-old son he looks good wearing toe shoes to school. On the other end, you’ve got your extremely serious problems, like famines, plagues, dictatorships, wars, and being the guy who went out of his way to actually invent toe shoes. Let’s be real; toe shoes are basically a crime against humanity within themselves.
Comedy has been used as a medium to discuss these issues — issues of the past, the present, and the future. When done correctly, comedy allows people to take a step back from whatever difficulties they may be dealing with and just laugh. It can be hard to find moments or make time to laugh when you’re overwhelmed by the stresses of life, which is why comedians do what they do— they try to help their audience remember to laugh. But within recent years, there has been a restructuring of whether or not certain issues and the way they’re discussed are taboo or not. Certain language, topics, and ideas that were once acceptable can no longer be said. Likewise, certain things that were previously unacceptable are now encouraged to be talked about.
Political Correctness
PC, or “political correctness,” was a term that was originally introduced in 1793 by the U.S. Supreme Court, simply meaning “politically wise.” It wasn’t until the 1970’s that it evolved into the idea that we know it as today. Political correctness in modern terms means “to choose words (and sometimes actions) that avoid disparaging, insulting or offending people because they belong to oppressed groups.” This idea really became a well-known household term in the mid to late 2010’s, and it was ultimately met with mixed reviews from comedians. Some comedians, like Jerry Seinfeld and Gilbert Gottfried, have argued that political correctness is directly hurting comedy. Other comedians, like Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have used political correctness (maybe not in the way it was intended) as a medium to add new characters to their shows, like South Park’s PC Principal.
Now, I’m not here to shoot down the idea of “political correctness;” I actually think a lot of very necessary and very human conversations have been had, and that’s directly due to the open-forum platform for discussion that comes as a byproduct of the idea. I will, however, expand on the relationship between comedy and one of the other byproducts of political correctness.
Which brings me to the trend that I think will continue in the near future — the wave of Cancel Culture.
What is Cancel Culture?
Cancel culture is known as the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture has had its moments of good, as it’s forced some monstrous figures within the entertainment world and beyond to take accountability for their actions.
Mixing comedy and cancel culture is something that usually never ends well today. The idea of making people aware of their language and being politically correct came from a place of good intentions. However, some aspects of the idea of policing language have evolved into a more final form of outright cancelation. In its current state, very few people are given second chances if they mess up. There’s almost a groupthink, pack of wolves mentality about it. If one consumer sees a piece of content they don’t enjoy, like a bad joke or a risky topic, they can very easily take to the internet to share their feelings regardless of whether or not they were the intended audience. If enough people see and share this person’s response, then it may become a trending topic. As soon as an opinion evolves into a hashtag of #cancelthiscomedian on Twitter, the rest of the internet cracks their knuckles and warms up their fingers as they prepare to furiously tweet away with everyone else about how terrible that comedian is.
Cancel Culture in the Media
I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows cancel culture is already in full effect in the media. Movie stars and comedians are getting dropped and cut from roles for even being remotely involved in controversy that could force networks to make tough decisions. Networks are trying to purge themselves entirely of any sort of questionable relationships or controversial employees in an attempt to appear like role-model organizations to the public. It’s very likely that these larger media companies will continue to bite their tongues and act in accordance with the trends of the internet to keep themselves “clean.”
I believe we will continue to see an increase in the number of people and things getting “canceled” over the next few years. With the power of the internet and social media at our fingertips, no mistakes can slip through the cracks for anyone. Nobody is exempt. Everyone is fair game, and everyone who says anything wrong can be “canceled.”
Globalization of Comedy
At this very moment, everyone from all over the world can weigh in on whether or not they think a comedian’s content is funny. And some people, as a precautionary measure to the potential opinions and reactions of their global peers, prematurely tweet about how things may not be funny “just to play it safe.” This is essentially an attempt at creating a globalized comedy community, which is something that realistically isn’t possible. The world is already heading towards a globalized community of cultures and people, but it’s difficult to try and make comedy appeal to all 7 billion people on the planet. Everyone lives different lives and goes through different experiences; there’s no way to consolidate the entire spectrum of comedy down to a single, groupthink approach.
This idea of acting out of precaution relates back to the previous point that everyone thinks that every single opinion needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to comedy. By having access to all of these people from all around the world (and subsequent access to all of their opinions and every single thought they feel like sharing), some people over-police the internet and pounce on every opportunity they can to make sure the internet “plays it safe.”
I think it’s great that people are looking out for each other and trying to watch each other’s backs, but humor isn’t typically a one-size-fits-all cookie-cutter for everyone.
“I Don’t Like It!”
Remember: good comedians know their audience!
And good audience members need to know that not every comedian is trying to specifically make YOU laugh! Andrew Schulz, a popular standup comedian, talks about this issue in his 2019 Ted Talk. Here’s a brief excerpt to explain the kinds of audience members that comedians are working with nowadays:
People have become a lot more entitled to our feelings. If we feel something, it’s important we let everybody know… [parents] instill in [their kid’s] brain that the world should bend to them. And now I’m doing standup comedy, and I tell a joke about something, and someone stands up and goes, “I don’t like that!”
“Well why not?”
“Because I don’t!”
“Well everyone else is laughing.”
“But that doesn’t matter because in this very moment, I don’t like it!”
As unfortunate as it is that comedians can be canceled easier than just about anyone else, I think it’s something that just comes with the territory of that line of work. Dave Chappelle has even gone on the record to say that any job where you depend on the approval of others is a crazy one. Comedians are some of the only people who are encouraged to make people laugh by walking the fine line between excess and safety. If anyone’s gonna be the first person to make a mistake and wander into the realm of questionable excess, it always going to be a comedian, without a doubt.
Bursting the Bubble
Fortunately, I don’t think cancel culture will be around forever (at least not in the capacity it is right now). I think we’ll see a “bubble” begin to form around cancel culture that will expand until it eventually bursts. The same way that the economy cycle lulls and crests with short-term and long-term contractions and expansions can be applied to comedy. Tastes and styles are always evolving, and it’s up to comedians to test out different ideas to see what fits the new cycle of preferences.
Comedians will do what they inevitably always do — make mistakes. It’s likely we’ll continue down this rabbit hole of canceling this comedian and canceling that comedian, and the internet will continue to pounce on these opportunities whenever they can. I’m sure that some of them will be merited cancellations that involve more than just language or a bad attempt at a joke, but I’m also sure that other cancellations will be widely considered as unnecessary, even if nobody speaks up to say so. You can only try to cancel so many comedians before you simply start to run out of them.
The crazy thing about this “bubble burst” is that I think it will naturally happen on its own. Cancel culture in itself seems almost artificial, and I think this artificialness is speeding up the current comedy cycle. Considering we’re in the middle of a pandemic and now have more free time on our hands than ever before, 2020 has clearly demonstrated that people can and will go out of their way to dig up dirt on others (i.e. #cancelrickandmorty from this past August). Eventually, the cancelee’s will outweigh the cancelers, and given the hair-trigger nature of how quick people are to jump on a “cancel train,” I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long to see some of the world’s biggest comedians fall victim to cancellations.
Possible Futures
Will comedy survive these unprecedented and wildly tense times? Yeah, of course it’s gonna survive. Look at those toe shoes. They’re still around.
Nobody knows for sure what the future will look like, but there are a few possible scenarios we might see.
Best Case Scenario: In a perfect world, comics and audiences will come to the mutual understanding that comedy is subjective. Good comedians will have used this time to take a step back, refine and polish their jokes, and make sure they release high quality content that still fits their target audience. Likewise, consumers everywhere will watch TV shows and standup acts with the presence of mind to understand that they may not be the target of what’s being joked about. The cancel culture bubble will have burst, and there will have been a brief reset, allowing for people to take a breath and relax for the first time in a long while. Comedians who may have been shunned for debatably questionable content will be allowed to reenter the world of comedy, taking advantage of the second chances that cancel culture sought to prevent.
Worst Case Scenario: On the other polar end of things, we could have pure anarchy in the comedy community. Conformity turns out to be the death of comedy, and every joke follows the same format. Jokes are taken too far back to the point where comedians are second-guessing their skills on a daily basis. Comedy will become globalized down to one set of standards, and anyone who strays away from the groupthink mindset in the slightest can be canceled at a moment’s notice. Ultimately, comedy will become predictable; it’ll be safe and clean for everyone, but it won’t be new or inventive. Oh, and everyone would definitely be wearing those toe shoes too.
Realistic Scenario: I think the most probable scenario is both a rise and fall of cancel culture. I think the likely trend for the next few years is a rise in cancellations. Some comedians are going to get canceled for saying and doing some really screwed up stuff, and other comedians are unfortunately going to get canceled for more minor hiccups. I think the minor mistakes will grow to be seen as more serious offenses, and since it’s human nature to screw up every once in a while, I think a lot of people are going to get canceled for some pretty harmless mistakes. Eventually, we’re going to run out of notable comedians to cancel, which leaves the internet with a tough question: Do you continue to police the internet and social media spaces for the rest of time, ensuring that comedy has no mistakes and is targeted towards one global audience of viewers? Or do you give all of these canceled comedians a second chance? Honestly, I think people will choose the latter.
I don’t think that it’ll be an instantaneous sigh of relief like the first scenario, but I believe comedy may start to deescalate back down to a place where comedians aren’t living in perpetual fear of the internet pouncing on them. Like I said, comedy is subjective, and consumers need to understand that they ultimately have the final say in what kinds of content they want to consume. That’s why comedy is so diverse and has so many niches; it allows for anyone to find the exact style of humor they enjoy and immerse themselves in it.
Remember: good comedians always have and always will know their audience!
True comedians are brave enough to admit when they’ve overstepped and made clear mistakes, but they’re also brave enough to not conform their jokes and their style of comedy to fit 7 billion opinions. Although the idea of comedians staying true to themselves may currently be muddled and hazed by the overbearing and omnipotent threat of “being canceled,” I can assure you that if the cancel culture bubble eventually bursts, we’ll all be able to see how diverse the world of comedy truly is.
Conclusion
I understand that the whole conversation of political correctness and cancel culture can be a very tricky one to navigate, especially in 2020. The goal of comedy isn’t to make people feel bad about themselves, but rather creating a space where people can open up and laugh about their similarities and their differences. They can let their minds be at ease and forget about the stresses of the world for just a little while.
Some comedians, like Dave Chappelle, have even gone as far as using their platforms to promote change by taking social issues and weaving them together with their own experiences and stories. It’s moments like these that have done wonders for helping people understand issues which they may not be directly experiencing. Unfortunately, even comedians like Dave aren’t safe from the trigger-happy nature of cancel culture.
I think this looming fear of being canceled due to any mistake is something that can’t stick around forever. It’s too tiring to scour the internet looking for things to cancel every day; we’ll eventually run out of people and things to cancel. It’s a burden to everyone to be on a constant lookout for someone or something to cancel, and I think it’s a practice that we’ll all be extremely worn down by. I hope that someday in the not-too-distant future when the dust of cancel culture settles, we will all be able to finally see comedy again as the diverse, creative, and thought-provoking artform that it’s always been.
