Offense Taken
Campus funnies
Are college students killing comedy? Some entertainers seem to think so.
In an interview with The New York Times last December, Chris Rock confessed that he had stopped playing college scenes because the crowds were "too conservative" and too easily offended. Now Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Maher have taken up Rock's mantle. Seinfeld spoke with ESPN's Colin Cowherd in June, telling him that political correctness had taken over campuses and was hurting comedy: "I don't play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, 'Don't go near colleges. They're so P.C.'" And Maher has dedicated significant screen time on his HBO show to the idea that students are no longer learning to engage—and reject—arguments with which they disagree, since they are now so sheltered from them.
Part of the problem is a campus culture that encourages students to see themselves as victims—or potential victims—of provocative behavior. The federal government provides support for this point of view by explicitly encouraging students to file complaints against their universities when they feel they have been marginalized.
This summer, comedian Amy Schumer found herself in trouble for remarks she made about Latinos. She says she was speaking in the persona of an "irreverent idiot," then went on to explain, "Playing with race is a thing we are not supposed to do, which is what makes it so fun for comics. You can call it a 'blind spot for racism' or 'lazy' but you are wrong. It is a joke and it is funny. I know because people laugh at it." She later backed down and apologized.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Offense Taken."
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?