Insult Comedy

There was a comedian who was said to be an Equal Opportunity Offender because everyone was fair game for him. Don Rickles insulted everyone for laughs, but stop and think what about the people he insulted? How did they feel to be the butt of a joke?

One time I saw him on TV at a dinner club picking on an audience member over his weight as the man was eating dessert. The man might have been struggling with his weight, he might have had a medical disorder like diabetes that cause him to gain weight or a thyroid disease, he may have been suffering from depression because of it and now he is being humiliated on national television, could it have driven him to suicidal idealizations?

Now we have another insult comedic who is using us for his jokes.

Chapelle special spurs Netflix walkout; ‘Trans lives matter’
AP News
By Alex Veiga and Lynn Elber
October 21, 2021


Netflix employees who walked out Wednesday in protest of Dave Chappelle’s special and its anti-transgender comments were joined by allies who chanted “Trans lives matter,” getting pushback from counterprotesters who also showed up.

A pre-noon rally at a Netflix office-studio complex drew about 100 people, most on the side of an estimated 30 workers at the streaming giant that joined in afterward. Some were willing to identify themselves as Netflix employees, but all declined to provide their names.
[…]
Chappelle’s decision to share “his outrage as comedic humiliation in front of thousands of people, and then broadcasting it to hundreds of millions of people is infinitely amplified gender violence,” they said.

Counter-counter protesters are saying it is “Free Speech” but at what cost? Is it right to do it at other people’s expense? What happens if it pushes a young trans person to take their own life?

“Harm reduction” is another demand, which according to the list includes acknowledgment of what it called Netflix’s “responsibility for this harm from transphobic content, and in particular harm to the Black trans community.”

It also called for disclaimers to flag content that includes “transphobic language, misogyny, homophobia” and hate speech.

In a statement, the media watchdog group GLAAD said it salutes the Netflix’s employees, allies and LGBTQ and Black advocates “calling for accountability and change within Netflix and in the entertainment industry as a whole.”

No, I will not attend or watch a comedian who gets laughs at others expense.

CBS news reported on the walkout,

"Dave Chappelle doesn't get to suck the joy out of this moment. This is a moment where we are coming together in a unified effort," activist Ashlee Marie Preston said at Wednesday's rally. "This is a moment where we understand that it's one for all and all for one and we won't stop until justice is brought."

And what happened to the Netflix’s employee who organized the protest? They suspended her.

Netflix suspends transgender employee who tweeted about Dave Chappelle's 'The Closer'
The streaming giant says the tweets weren't the reason the employee was suspended.
NBC News
By Daniel Arkin
October 11, 2021


Netflix suspended a transgender employee who criticized the new Dave Chappelle stand-up special "The Closer," writing on Twitter that Chappelle's jokes were harmful to transgender people and the LGBTQ community. The company denied that the tweets were the reason for the suspension.

The employee, software engineer Terra Field, tweeted Wednesday that Chappelle "attacks the trans community, and the very validity of transness," in "The Closer."
[…]
"It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show," a company spokesperson said. "Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly, and we support their right to do so."

Yeah, right and I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

The Verge also reported that co-CEO Ted Sarandos responded to questions from employees in an internal email sent Friday. In the memo, which was quoted in full by The Verge, Sarandos said Chappelle's special would not be removed from the platform.
[…]
"It never feels good when people are hurting, especially our colleagues, so I wanted to give you some additional context. You should also be aware that some talent may join third parties in asking us to remove the show in the coming days, which we are not going to do," Sarandos was quoted as saying.
[…]
"I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries," Sarandos added, according to The Verge. "Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean-spirited but our members enjoy it, and it's an important part of our content offering."

Chappelle has a lucrative content deal with Netflix. He signed an agreement in 2016 that is reported to pay him $20 million per stand-up special. He has released six specials on the platform to date.

Of course not, Netflix is making money at the expense of the trans community.

Suppose you substitute another marginalized community, say if it was a White comedian making fun of Blacks how do you think that would fly? Then why is it okay for us to be the butt of the jokes?

I like comedy just not Insult Comedy.

So what does Dave Chappelle think about trying to get him off the air? It is cancel culture.

Chappelle slams cancel culture amid Netflix transgender furore

BBC

26 October 2021

US comedian Dave Chappelle, whose latest Netflix special sparked a transgender backlash, has hit back at those he says want to "cancel" him.

Chappelle posted on Instagram that he was willing to meet members of the transgender community, amid criticism his comedy show was transphobic.

He also invited viewers to decide whether he had been "cancelled".

It comes after a small protest last week outside the Netflix headquarters in Los Angeles.

Critics have taken offence at Chappelle's Netflix special, The Closer, in which he says "gender is a fact" and that LGBT people are "too sensitive".

What I see of the so called cancel culture is people with privileged being called out on it by the marginalized community. Stop and think about this for a second... 38 trans people were murdered so far this year, we are on the way to breaking a record.

Once I watch a trans comedian talk about her experience using her GPS and she had the audience rolling around on the floor laughing, she didn’t need to insult anyone for laughs. There are so many different types of comedy that doesn’t come at an other's expense.

Update October 28, 2021 @ 3:00 PM