Great American Success Story: politically correct

Monday, June 20, 2016

How to tell jokes: Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Remedial Sensitivity

Lenny Bruce, Wikimedia Commons

Jerry Seinfeld doesn’t play colleges anymore due to political correctness. Neither does Chris Rock. In an interview with Frank Rich of Vulture, Rock said, "I stopped playing colleges, and the reason is because they're way too conservative... Not in their political views — not like they're voting Republican — but in their social views and their willingness not to offend anybody."

In the tradition of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin, comedians love to exercise their wit privilege by telling jokes about anything. They're essentially wit supremacists who act as if nothing is off limits. Sometimes they push the envelope just to see how far they can go. Louis C.K., Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais, Seth McFarlane, Tracy Morgan, Amy Schumer, Dane Cook, Daniel Tosh, and Michael Richards have all been accused of going over the line in one way or another. Radio personalities Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus, and Howard Stern have also been accused of going too far with their humor.

Richard Pryor, Wikipedia

It could happen to anyone who’s trying to be funny. For example, I myself was once tempted to come up with a few jokes about what happened to Bruce/Caitlin Jenner’s javelin. It just seemed to me that there’s probably a man in a woman’s body somewhere who would love to have Jenner’s old javelin. It seemed to me that it could have been sold or auctioned off on Ebay. However, I realized that jokes based on those premises, which could be extremely offensive to some people, would be way over the line. Thank goodness I figured that out before it was too late.

Just because a joke is funny doesn’t mean that it has to be told or that it should be told. Funny people love their wit privilege, but it doesn't give them the right to tell jokes that offend and hurt feelings. Comedians and others who earn their livings through humor must have sensitivity for the feelings of anyone who might be offended. They must figure out how to deliver kinder, gentler jokes that won’t hurt other people's feelings. They simply must. If they cannot do that, the laughter must stop.

Further Reading

Politically Correct Jokes

How to tell jokes

Learn to tell jokes from the masters

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

How to tell jokes: Politically Correct Jokes

This is an excerpt from Humor 101: How to Tell Jokes for Power, Prestige, Profit, and Personal Fulfillment

“For every ten jokes, thou hast got an hundred enemies.” Laurence Sterne (Howard’s great, great, great, great grandfather.)

Politically correct jokes are jokes that are tailored not to offend certain people. The problem is that anytime anyone tries to be funny, there’s a chance he or she will offend somebody. You don’t have to tell very many jokes to find that out. And some of the people who get offended aren’t shy about saying so. Complaints about jokes can be very off the wall but it will rarely do any good to try to explain a joke to someone who feels offended. For example, there’s just no way to explain irony to someone who does not get it.

In business settings it’s a good idea not to offend people if you can avoid it. Tell jokes that have a broad appeal, that don’t play on stereotypes, and that don’t take jabs at groups of people. Unlike pitching in baseball, in comedy it’s usually better to aim for the middle of the plate than it is to try to get strikes on the corners. You want to pitch jokes that are obvious strikes. You don’t want to leave people wondering whether they got it or not.

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, “Meat is Murder.” Well I guess that makes me a sociopath! I love the feeling of my incisors ripping through a nice juicy steak.

As a rule, I don’t laugh very hard at my own jokes, but that one used to kill me. I really loved telling that joke. Even after I had been telling it for a while, it still made me smile inside. It’s a funny joke, but not for everybody. I’m sure I alienated many vegetarians with that joke. If I had known then what I know now, I would have dumped that joke.

Another bit I should have stopped using took pokes at balding TV personalities, especially the ones who do the comb-over. I’m sure that whenever I did that bit, I alienated many men who were, shall we say, folically challenged. Try to be aware of who might be offended by a joke and ask yourself if the joke is worth it. Sometimes it is. In business situations, it usually isn’t.

Further reading.

Remedial Sensitivity

Politically Correct Jokes

Are you a Wit Supremacist?

Jokes for St. Patty’s Day

#MakeAmericaLaughAgain