Y'know, in this post-joke age of censorship and offensive-ness, it's no wonder that comedians shall soon be a thing of the past. Ironic, considering how the comedian's origins first emerged: through the life of the court jester.
(Image created using an AI art generator on NightCafe)
The role of the jester was certainly a curious one! Given that jesters date back to the days of Egypt and Rome, it is a history that is still shrouded in mystery...
What we do know, is that jesters became notable figures during the Medieval Ages, when they began to perform for royalty; in fact, it was common for jesters to become a part of the royal household.
They performed a number of tasks, including playing the messenger on the battlefield (and were sometimes killed for it 😬), but the one that jesters were most revered for, was their privilege to be able to speak truth.
I wondered if there was any validity to it... After all, the time period took place nearly 600 years ago and recollections can be fuzzy, at best. For example, there is an account of a jester boldly informing his King that the English soldiers "didn't have the guts to jump into the water like our brave Frenchmen."
(Source: ~~~ embed:todayilearned/comments/7ii02p/til_jesters_were_asked_to_tell_bad_news_to_the/) reddit metadata:fHRvZGF5aWxlYXJuZWR8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVkZGl0LmNvbS9yL3RvZGF5aWxlYXJuZWQvY29tbWVudHMvN2lpMDJwL3RpbF9qZXN0ZXJzX3dlcmVfYXNrZWRfdG9fdGVsbF9iYWRfbmV3c190b190aGUvKXw= ~~~
However, did it truly occur? What about the rumor that some jesters were killed simply because their employer couldn't handle a joke? 😬
I am sure that both statements can be true; I believe you could find isolated cases for either instances. But a jester would not have made the lasting impression that he had if he had been beheaded after his first performance. And I hardly doubt anyone would have accepted the position if that was the case! 😂😂
(Source: ~~~ embed:AskHistory/comments/ihrzbu/would_jesters_be_sentenced_to_death_for_telling/) reddit metadata:fEFza0hpc3Rvcnl8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVkZGl0LmNvbS9yL0Fza0hpc3RvcnkvY29tbWVudHMvaWhyemJ1L3dvdWxkX2plc3RlcnNfYmVfc2VudGVuY2VkX3RvX2RlYXRoX2Zvcl90ZWxsaW5nLyl8 ~~~
The fact remains that a jester's entire purpose was to say the things no one else dared to say, or could say -- offensive or not.
The same should be said for a comedian. Because, at the end of the day, what is considered "funny" or "offensive" is all subjective. Therefore, we can't have gatekeepers on the topic.
And for that matter, a comedian still can't just "say whatever they want;" there is still a formula to follow. For one, there should be a point, and secondly said point has to be funny. A person can't just rant about disliking Asian people without being a racist, but if they include a funny anecdote, that becomes comedy!
Granted, it is a razor fine line. The whole point of comedy is to transcend the angry, the ugly, the disgusting, the uncomfortable -- and morph it into something that people can laugh at. Finding something that everyone can universally laugh at isn't easy; it's a gift.
For example, if there was something to be "offended" about in my life, it would probably be miscarriages; I suffered one last year and it was very emotional (obviously! 😅). But because I have come to terms with it, I cannot be offended by my personal situation any longer, or with a natural part of life, for that matter.
Taking someone else's experience, a mother was very upset with Ricky Gervais' SickKids bit because her young child had died from brain cancer. Obviously she is grieving and has not fully come to terms with her experience, if ever... But cancer, unfortunately, isn't going anywhere soon... And that humor may be a similar parent's way of handling their own pain. Again, it is all subjective...
It just -- needs to stop 😭 I need people's inability to deal with their feelings to stop jeopardizing the occupation of comedians.
I quite enjoy comedians, many of whom have positively influenced and helped save my depressed life: George Carlin, Jermey Hotz, Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle, Eric Andre, Shaun Gilis, Chris Farley, Tim Dillion...
I just think it's shameful that humor could be taken away due to miserable people...
I was listening to Jordan Peterson the other day and one of the things that predicts the traits of the cancel culture zealots is low verbal intelligence. It’s any wonder why they hate comedy and try to get rid of it as much as they can, it’s above their verbal intelligence and they dislike it. That’s why you see people screaming at the top of their lungs when challenged, especially with big words. Really wild!
Comedians play such an important role, because free speech is a critical foundational pillar of a healthy society!