About a year ago, I wrote a similar piece titled something like "What Happened to Sitcoms: The Woke Code." It explored how the self-imposed Hays Code of early 20th-century Hollywood faded away, only to seemingly re-emerge in the form of today’s "woke" sensibilities dominating the film and TV landscape of the 2020s. It’s encouraging to see others noticing this phenomenon too! I genuinely miss shows that could joke about racism or throw jabs at one another—fictional comedy is the perfect space for playing with those kinds of provocative ideas.
A couple years ago I saw John Cleese live. As part of his show he did a whole run of racial and ethnic jokes, one after the other, sparing hardly anyone. The audience was in stitches. The point, he said, is to lighten up the differences between us. We can tell these kinds of jokes to laugh at ourselves, or we can do them to be cruel and mean. Obviously he was attempting the first.
Zaid, I like a lot of what I've read in The American Saga, and I agree with you here, but only to a point. Things are fairly fresh and raw right now. The Producers nailed it, in the right time and place and coming from a great Jewish comedian.
Thank you for explaining the Larry David thing. I didn't have the energy to spare to find out what that "outrage session" was about.
I do disagree however. The piece (which I just read so I could comment in good faith), coming so quickly after Maher's dinner with Trump, is meant to equate Trump with Hitler and suggest he is too evil to spend a reasonable evening with (a belief we've had to listen to until our ears bleed). To suggest otherwise is to suggest we're all very foolish. (It's much like Douglas Murray's "I never said you can't talk about it if you don't have expertise, but why are people giving you a platform? They should just ignore you. Isn't that right, Joe?" not being deemed a call for censorship. Of course it is. To conclude otherwise is idiotic.)
And please don't put Larry David into the same camp as Jonathan Swift. A "Modest Proposal" was about the way the poor were treated and Swift's "proposal" was in fact no more gruesome or unethical than what was going on in practice, which is why the whole thing worked. There was a *real* problem that was being ignored. A "satirical" letter about "platforming" the "other side" is not even in the same realm as children starving to death and makes Larry David look small.
Zaid, have you heard about the Slam Frank musical that’s going to be playing in New York? Their Instagram (@slamfrankmusical) makes it pretty obvious it’s satire, and Google confirmed the creators are Jewish. Still, some Redditors are pretty mad about it. The bit reminds me of Portlandia; where we used to laugh at how ridiculous good intentions could get, before that ridiculousness basically became how we actually talk and argue about everything now.
One problem with much modern comedy is it's basically big-city progressives making fun of anyone who isn't exactly like them. I've tried to go to comedy clubs in recent years, and while there may be one or two non-political acts, so many other acts are as predictable as your foot hurting after kicking a wall - and about as entertaining.
At the moment, it's 999 variations of "Trump/Trump Voters Suck! - Cue Applause!".
There is a bit of that, although I'd encourage you to get out to your local standup or improv scene, or also go to podcasts/youtube. There's more diversity there.
About a year ago, I wrote a similar piece titled something like "What Happened to Sitcoms: The Woke Code." It explored how the self-imposed Hays Code of early 20th-century Hollywood faded away, only to seemingly re-emerge in the form of today’s "woke" sensibilities dominating the film and TV landscape of the 2020s. It’s encouraging to see others noticing this phenomenon too! I genuinely miss shows that could joke about racism or throw jabs at one another—fictional comedy is the perfect space for playing with those kinds of provocative ideas.
A couple years ago I saw John Cleese live. As part of his show he did a whole run of racial and ethnic jokes, one after the other, sparing hardly anyone. The audience was in stitches. The point, he said, is to lighten up the differences between us. We can tell these kinds of jokes to laugh at ourselves, or we can do them to be cruel and mean. Obviously he was attempting the first.
Zaid, I like a lot of what I've read in The American Saga, and I agree with you here, but only to a point. Things are fairly fresh and raw right now. The Producers nailed it, in the right time and place and coming from a great Jewish comedian.
For me, Blazing Saddles is a preeminent example of what this article articulates. You could never make it today, but I’m grateful it’s out there.
Thank you for explaining the Larry David thing. I didn't have the energy to spare to find out what that "outrage session" was about.
I do disagree however. The piece (which I just read so I could comment in good faith), coming so quickly after Maher's dinner with Trump, is meant to equate Trump with Hitler and suggest he is too evil to spend a reasonable evening with (a belief we've had to listen to until our ears bleed). To suggest otherwise is to suggest we're all very foolish. (It's much like Douglas Murray's "I never said you can't talk about it if you don't have expertise, but why are people giving you a platform? They should just ignore you. Isn't that right, Joe?" not being deemed a call for censorship. Of course it is. To conclude otherwise is idiotic.)
And please don't put Larry David into the same camp as Jonathan Swift. A "Modest Proposal" was about the way the poor were treated and Swift's "proposal" was in fact no more gruesome or unethical than what was going on in practice, which is why the whole thing worked. There was a *real* problem that was being ignored. A "satirical" letter about "platforming" the "other side" is not even in the same realm as children starving to death and makes Larry David look small.
“No soup for you, Bill Maher”
Zaid, have you heard about the Slam Frank musical that’s going to be playing in New York? Their Instagram (@slamfrankmusical) makes it pretty obvious it’s satire, and Google confirmed the creators are Jewish. Still, some Redditors are pretty mad about it. The bit reminds me of Portlandia; where we used to laugh at how ridiculous good intentions could get, before that ridiculousness basically became how we actually talk and argue about everything now.
I haven’t heard of it I’ll look into it
I still love Hitler on Ice
With all due respect, I’d hardly call Maher’s description of Trump as gushing.
One problem with much modern comedy is it's basically big-city progressives making fun of anyone who isn't exactly like them. I've tried to go to comedy clubs in recent years, and while there may be one or two non-political acts, so many other acts are as predictable as your foot hurting after kicking a wall - and about as entertaining.
At the moment, it's 999 variations of "Trump/Trump Voters Suck! - Cue Applause!".
"Who's on First" it ain't...
There is a bit of that, although I'd encourage you to get out to your local standup or improv scene, or also go to podcasts/youtube. There's more diversity there.