Some jokes land. Others just laugh at the status quo.
Every few months, the internet gets a fresh comedy controversy, and we all dutifully pick a side. However, last week, ‘jokes’ made on one of the biggest comedy stages in the world were such cheap shots that everyone collectively sighed in exhaustion.
They were made by Shane Gillis during his opening monologue on SNL, and he took aim at women and queer people.
Obviously (if you can’t tell from my tone), I don’t want to platform the comments any further, so basically all you need to know is that they perpetuated the idea that women’s bodies are just for public consumption. He also made derogatory remarks about lesbians and gay men.
The problem with ‘it’s just a joke’ cover up
So the thing is, just because the comments were made by a comedian under the guise of ‘just being a joke’, it doesn’t mean platforming these ideas aren’t harmful.
Comedian Em Rusciano told WHO that the defence doesn’t stand up.
“I’m a comedian. I like to be outrageous and challenge rooms and, you know, occasionally get things wrong, but ‘it’s a joke’ isn’t something you can hide behind,” she said.
For her, the real test is the thinking behind the material. “Are we thinking critically about the observations we’re making around this topic that we’re trying to, I guess, expose and interrogate? Or are we being super lazy and just having people laugh along with the status quo?”
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While no one is demanding that comedians be polite or profound all the time, comedians do still have a responsibility not to normalise harmful ideas.
“Sometimes comedy can just be completely stupid. Not every joke has to have a powerful message, right? Like it actually doesn’t.
“But women’s freedom to exist in public without having their bodies treated like public property is worth discussing.”
The golden rule of comedy
So where does the line sit between pushing limits and taboos with comedy, and not pushing out harmful or hateful beliefs. When I asked Em, she pointed to the one rule comedians all know.
“There’s this unspoken rule and the spoken rule amongst comedians is don’t punch down.”
And in her view, that’s what happened here. “In a sad way, that’s what he’s doing, because we are at a different place to him… a male comedian who has the largest global comedy platform at his fingertips. And that’s what he chose to do. That’s who he chose to skewer.”
The catch-22 of calling it out
However, there’s an awkward catch-22 with this. Reacting gives the material oxygen, and it can increase the reach of the “jokes”. However, staying silent only perpetuates the issue further.
At least speaking up allows the counterargument to get air, too.
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