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submitted 6 months ago by jeffw@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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[-] rsuri@lemmy.world 30 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I can't help but notice all the comedians who complain about society being took woke for comedy are has-beens. John Stewart's back to crushing it at the Daily Show, is he complaining? No, it's only the guys who've run out of material and have nothing left to do but shake their canes at gen Z kids.

I challenge anyone to go to the "good old days" and find me a comedian who was actually funny and not just being an edgelord. You know who the most popular comedian was in the 80s? Andrew Dice Clay. That's right. That's was peak comedy, dirty nursery rhymes. Sure, I get that some people are nostalgic. But let's be serious for a minute - do we really wanna go back to that kind of comedic void?

Society hasn't gotten too woke, rather comedic standards have evolved to the point where merely being offensive in itself no longer counts as comedy.

[-] skeezix@lemmy.world 29 points 6 months ago

I challenge anyone to go to the "good old days" and find me a comedian who was actually funny and not just being an edgelord.

The master himself. George Carlin. We could debate whether he was an edge lord or not. But his comedy was timeless and remains hysterical to this day. And his funniest bits were based on observation of the human condition.

[-] AgentDalePoopster@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

Carlin was vulgar, but he never punched down. I firmly believe his comedy would be as accepted today as it was when he made it.

[-] LostWon@lemmy.ca 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Carlin was good at what he did but he absolutely did punch down, just not at a specific person. The overarching message for a lot of his comedy was "You know you're all being screwed over and maybe you have a hard time doing anything about it, but you deserve it because you're stupid." It's just such a popular sentiment to call everyone else in society stupid, while excluding oneself, that I guess few people notice those undertones and their implications.

[-] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

It IS as accepted today. His material is still very relevant.

[-] Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago

He could plainly see what was coming. Tore it down. People laughed and let it happen anyway.

[-] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

I can confirm. No matter how many times I listen to Mr Conductor talk about Poo Bear, I can't help but laugh. Specially when he saws Roo into his own pouch!

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Carlin also re-invented himself with the times. The comedy he did in the 60s was entirely different from the comedy he did in the 90s.

Jerry Seinfeld is still doing the same comedy he did in the 80s.

[-] MeDuViNoX@sh.itjust.works 18 points 6 months ago

Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, and Jim Carrey all seemed like they had really good specials. I haven't watched them in a long time, but I don't recall them being edge lords. I'm sure there have to be others.

[-] negativeyoda@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago

Eddie Murphy can be funny, but there's a ton of homophobic and other problematic content in Raw and Delirious.

[-] MeDuViNoX@sh.itjust.works -1 points 6 months ago
[-] MeDuViNoX@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

(I'm unhappy because that's bad, not because I disagree with the statement.)

[-] cook_pass_babtridge@sh.itjust.works -1 points 6 months ago

The first 10 mins of Delirious are difficult watching, but worth getting through for the timeless gold in the rest of it.

[-] refalo@programming.dev -4 points 6 months ago

problematic

mfs can't take a joke in a thread about not being able to take a joke

/s

[-] graymess@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

If you want to keep happy memories, never rewatch a comedy special older than 10 years. It's incredible how fast most jokes age.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

I think there are some big exceptions. For example- Robin Williams at the Met was an amazing show and is still extremely funny.

[-] MeDuViNoX@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Probably true, I usually don't rewatch anything in video format. It's kind of a weird quirk of mine.

[-] TipRing@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Some are timeless, I can watch Burns and Allen routines and they are still hilarious. Topical humor is very of-its-time though.

[-] WeebLife@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

Is George Carlin considered an edgelord?

[-] root_beer@midwest.social 4 points 6 months ago

He was, back in the day, his anti-authoritarian bent was pretty edgy then

Tangentially: I tried getting into him a few years ago and it seemed tame and nothing I hadn’t heard before from so many other comedians. Then I realized that he was the vanguard of that style of comedy and of course it’s going to sound like retrodden ground if I’d heard all the people he’d influenced before I listened to him.

[-] bilb@lem.monster 2 points 6 months ago
[-] Ozone6363@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

This shit couldn't be more off base lmao.

Not only have many greats been listed in response to you, you also have relevant comedians today bitching about "woke" as you call it.

Is Bill Burr an edge lord has-been? Chapelle? Jon Stewart has mentioned this as well. Honestly, I think the meme of "YoU cAnT sAy tHiNgS aNyMoRe" is in over half of standups I watch.

A huge portion of comedians mention this at some point.

[-] rsuri@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Chappelle I'll grant you, but I'd put Chappelle in the category with Seinfeld of a once super-popular comedian who has passed his prime, and now just shakes his cane at Gen Z in frustration instead of creating new material.

As for Bill Burr and John Stewart:
Bill Burr Stuns Bill Maher by Declaring Cancel Culture ‘Over’
Jon Stewart Is "So Fucking Sick" of "Anti-Woke" Culture: "I've Lost Two Words in 35 Years"

There's a difference between thinking cancel culture has gone too far and complaining endlessly that it has "ruined comedy". One is an opinion, the other is an excuse.

this post was submitted on 13 May 2024
577 points (94.6% liked)

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