So, it looks like comedic America has a problem. The director of The Joker movie recently said that he decided not to make comedies anymore because of today’s “woke” culture. Now, I sorta disagree with that, but I know my lovely and talented co-blogger really disagrees with it, so I’m gonna tell you about something that’s been bothering me for a while.
First, because unfortunately I have to, I’d like to inform you that I’m N……..no. You know what? Fuck it. Put your big kid pants on. So, this super hip “woke” culture is defined as “alert to injustice in society, especially racism.”. I wouldn’t describe being “woke” that way, I would define being “woke” as “a license to bitch and be outraged”, because that’s what it has become. Maybe in the beginning it was being aware that sadly, racism exists in today’s culture. But somewhere along the way, it took a left at Albuquerque. It’s gonna be hard to take stay on topic, but I’ll try.
In the past few years more and more comedians have stopped playing college campus’ because more and more students have become offended by what they say. This includes people from Chris Rock to Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry. Seinfeld. I think the movie Bambi was more offensive than he is. HOW are people outraged over his act? The answer is unfortunately simple: because they want to be. People look for even the smallest thing to get hot about. Something they can throw up on Insta or Twitter or Facebook or some other social media that they hope will go viral, and they’ll get a million likes or views or whatever. Hey, maybe they’ll even be on the news.
There are examples of this everywhere you look. Everyday someone stomps out another “social injustice” that nobody else had the guts to stand up to. Just this week, a man posted a picture on Twitter about how offensive the black pumpkins at Bed, Bath, and Beyond were to black people. It went viral because anything that has the word “offensive” does, and the all the stores pulled their black pumpkins. So, the guy who posted the picture on Twitter was white. I’m not sure how exactly a white man knows exactly what a black person is offended by, but whatever. Also, these are those foam-like Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins with the fake candle in them that have been around since Halloween was invented. Suddenly now in 2019, they’re offensive? Fine. But honestly, I’m so happy. I’m so happy that black culture will thrive, there won’t be anymore poverty in black neighborhoods, academic test scores in schools with a majority of black students will skyrocket, and that unemployment in areas populated mostly by black people will drop to 0% now because the black pumpkins aren’t there to hold them back anymore. Again, this is just ONE example from this week. I’m sure there’s at least 12 more that I haven’t come across.
You know what? I have a lot more to say on this matter than I thought, so join me right back here next week for the conclusion.
Her Take:
My co-blogger thinks I’m all worked up about something this week and, well, he’s not totally wrong. First of all, it would be accurate to say that about me every week, because it’s almost always true. I’m usually ‘worked up about something’, and if I’m not, just give me a minute.
It’s exhausting. Secondly, it’s something that’s been building up for a while and the Joker movie came along at just the right moment to release that steam vent.
Specifically the hand on that switch belongs to Todd Phillips, the director of “Joker”, because of a comment he made in an interview with Vanity Fair.
Because he was previously best known for movies like “Old School” and “The Hangover” trilogy, it seemed a little out of character for him to take on such a deeply damaged villain like the Joker, especially in such a stark and gritty style . When he was asked what made him take such an abrupt right turn as a director he responded, in essence, that no one can make anything funny anymore because of what he calls ‘Woke culture’.
In fact, it appears as if he has given up comedy for good as the masses reject the kind of ‘bro-humor’ that made him famous.
"It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right?" he said. "So you just go, ‘I’m out.’"
So why does this get me ‘all worked up’? Because, and I can’t stress this enough, it’s a lame excuse. Blame it on not being all that funny, or a lack of imagination, or even not having faith that the viewing public is smarter than racism and dick jokes, just don’t blame it on anyone other than yourself, Todd. There are people making hilariously funny things and they don’t need to hurt people to do it.
But this is the same excuse people with outdated, out-moded, possibly sexist/racist/bigotted/etc. ideas have been dropping on us for a while, and I’m over it. The truth is that our culture has matured past the kind of base humor that Todd Phillips (and others) were selling us and we want something different. That makes these people angry.
Here’s how it looks in real life (and I’ll over-explain now, even though I know you’ve personally witnessed something like it):
Random Unpleasant Person: SO the guy comes out of his house in just his tighty-whities and a wife-beater-
Me: Um, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t use that term. Some people find it offensive.
RUP: What? Who? Why?? That’s stupid. It’s getting so you can’t say anything…. FREEDOM OF SPEECH!! LIBERAL SNOWFLAKES!!! Who ARE THESE PEOPLE??
Me: It’s me, I’m those people. It’s offensive. I was a beaten wife. My abuser wore mostly button down shirts so it’s not even that accurate. You’re both insensitive and objectively wrong.
RUP: (Literally no response)
Or the response is something like ‘I’m sorry, I had no idea.’ and, ok, fine, but save your ‘sorry’ for someone who believes you. I literally just told you that what you’re saying hurts people and you didn’t care until you knew who, specifically, it hurt so you could DECIDE if you cared so, yeah, take that sorry, wrap it in your handkerchief, wad it in a ball, and shove it up your ass.
I don’t want it. It’s tainted,
Fine, I guess I am actually all worked up, but this is how humans get when they’ve been worn down to a nub, right? Warn down by hate and intolerance and skepticism. Screamed at and belittled and dismissed for wanting you (not you, you’re awesome, this very-real-but-currently-fictional-you that I’m talking about.) to be caring and kind. Exhausted by fighting, at least in my own head, with people like Todd Phillips who think they’re perfectly right and the world is wrong for moving on past them.
If you follow their argument to its logical conclusion these people are asking us to de-volve and forget the lessons of tolerance and understanding that we’ve fought so hard to learn. Let’s agree not to do that, ok? Let’s agree, you and I, that it’s good and right and decent to care that when you say something that might hurt someone, you should seriously consider not doing that anymore. If that’s being ‘Woke’ then fine, let’s be Woke together.
(Edit: I read this over and over (and over and over) and wasn't sure I made any damn point, but eventually I have to stop editing and post something. I see my co-blogger has more to say next week. Maybe that was meant to be?)
Comments
Post a Comment