Article written by Dylan Bell.
Comedy is a deeply personal topic to me, not because I’m particularly offended by it but because I love it in every form. I have used comedy through the majority of my life and I like to consider myself a funny person who’s able to make his family and friends laugh at the drop of a hat. When it comes to this subject of comedy, it's why I have a lot of opinions and that is exactly what this article is. You may not like it or agree with it but that’s the beauty of comedy; you don’t have to.
Every movie that I have seen lately, no matter the genre, has comedy in it. Despite this, comedy is difficult to get right and is so easily done horribly wrong. For example, in the majority of kid's movies most of the jokes you will see revolve around toilet humour and extremely immature jokes. This is the definition of lazy writing. However lazy it may be, it is rarely offensive to anyone unless you're like me and die a little inside every time a character farts and it's treated like comedy gold. If you're like the rest of the population you will likely not bat an eye at this behaviour, but when comedy starts to talk about serious issues suddenly we are all offended.
Probably the most controversial comedic show that I can think of is South Park and, for the most part, I actually enjoy this show. It tackles serious issues in a way that helps regular people engage with a topic that they would normally find repulsive. That is the true purpose of comedy. Now, yes, comedy is obviously meant to entertain us but it also serves to educate in a way that is subversive. I could not begin to tell you how many South Park episodes I have watched that have helped frame my point of view on the world. However, not everyone is like me. There are thousands of people who are constantly offend and outraged by what South Park does and part of me understands that this is in some cases warranted, yet I also find myself thinking something that is rather controversial. Grow up. It’s comedy, it’s not meant to be polite.
Although I stand behind my opinion and will defend it until the day I die, I can understand people when they see certain topics that can offend them. For example, probably one of the infamous cases of South Park apparently going too far was when they depicted George Lucas and Steven Spielberg raping Indiana Jones. Many found this to be a hilarious satire of how bad the fourth Indiana Jones movie was, but there was also a significant amount of people who believed South Park went too far and it is hard to disagree with that.
Another reason I like South Park and other shows like it, is because they challenge societal norms which I believe is always a good thing. The creators of South Park Trey Parker and Matt Stone have a philosophy that I cannot help but agree with. Either everything is okay to joke about or nothing is since that’s how comedy works. I find this statement more poignant every time I hear it, because it will never not be true. Once again, I do stand by my opinions and always will, however I feel I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t address the opposite opinion. Some people believe that the mentality I demonstrated is too vulgar and that comedy needs to have limitations in order to be polite. Can we all acknowledge that if you believe comedy needs to be polite to people, then you may be too overly sensitive and need re-evaluate your ideals? To prove how misguided these people are, I will give you a simple example.
People who believe comedy can go too far often say that there are certain things you cannot joke about. One of these topics I have heard numerous times about is suicide. As someone who has both been personally affected by this and has attempted it himself, I believe that gives me some right to talk about it in any way I see fit. Although sometimes jokes about suicide can go wrong and be ludicrously unfunny, I would never dream of saying people should never joke about it because I was offended. What is to stop them from saying I cannot joke about watermelons because that offends them. Yes, that sounds ridiculous but if we made comedy polite to others I would not be allowed to make my hilarious watermelon jokes because someone is offended. Now, watermelons aren’t as serious as suicide or other very serious subjects, but this is what comedy is meant for: to challenge us and take power away from negative things. If we joke about suicide it can make it seem less serious, which is wrong of course, but for some it could also be the humour they need to cope with the terrible feelings they have experienced. I know I need it now and then.
I would never dream of pushing my definition of morality onto other people, but comedy is where I make an exception. Can comedy go too far sometimes? Well, I personally feel comedy can never go too far. It can for some people, but just because you are offended by certain jokes doesn’t mean we need to stop joking about that topic entirely. Probably my favourite example of this is the comedic genius Mel Brooks who wrote and directed the hysterical pieces Blazing Saddles and The Producers, both comedies drowning in satire and controversy (they make a lovely couple don’t they). One deals with racism and the other Hitler and Nazis. Although Mel Brooks is famous for saying that comedy does have some limitations (for example, he would never show the lynching of a black man as humorous) he also believed that if you wanted to show that then it's fine and do it, but if the audience deems you wrong then you will be punished for it. In my mind, this is the absolute truth of comedy.
If you take one lesson away from this article, I want it to be that you understand comedy a little better. Comedy isn’t designed to be polite, to hold your hand while you chuckle to yourself at the dancing clown. We need comedy to make life easier and if you do one day find yourself offended by some form of joke, then by all means be offended, but don’t say comedy needs to be polite. If that ever became the standard, comedy would cease to exist as we know it.
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