Ok, so maybe not the Dark Ages. I exaggerate a little. But maybe more in line to how back in the early 20th century, religious groups kept certain types of art and entertainment banned.
Back in my late teens/early 20's, I tried stand up. I had always loved comedy and wanted to be a famous comedian. Have my own HBO comedy special. Do my tight five at an SNL audition. I ended up working with a guy at a restaurant who worked in the kitchen at lunch, and did stand up at night. He wasn't anything big, but to me, he was great. He took me under his wing and for about 8 years (on and off), I would try my luck on local stages. The problem was, I realized really quick that I didn't like stand up as much as I liked writing. I hated having to say the same stories over and over. I still do to this day. It just seems odd to me. I like to be funny. And stand up was more of just a routine. So as quickly as I started following my dream, I also started to loath it. Eventually, I gave up on it altogether. Luckily, I was able to turn that talent into an IT guy who spends a lot of time on an outdated form of communication making tens of people mildly chuckle. So, not too shabby.
Anyway, I start off with that because I wanted to give some backstory to what I'm getting at. It used to be that you couldn't say things because it was raunchy. Or outside of what church-going, God-fearing people believed was allowed in public. But by the 80's and 90's, we were in a groove. Comedy was peak. Fast forward into the late aughts and now teens. The PC culture has taken over and is now doing exactly what the religious did in the early 1900's. We've moved the needle so much, we're back where we started. We've come full circle, but not in a good way.
Comedy, right now, is probably at it's worst it's been in decades. Maybe ever. Or at least since we started doing comedy. That's not saying there aren't great comedians now. There are. But if you listen to most comedians now, they're all saying the same thing: PC culture is ruining comedy. Everyone wants to be offended. They don't see the humor in humor. Instead they try to see the offensiveness of humor. Good humor walks the line. Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor doing word association on SNL, is a great example. But humor also sometimes steps way over the line. And that's ok. Because it's not meant to be serious. It's meant to make you laugh.
I have trouble watching TV or movies or standup anymore, because we've all been told we have to have the same thoughts. We are only allowed to make fun of certain people and certain beliefs. Everything else is off limits. And that's stifling. And sad.
Anyway, my thoughts are that it's going to get worse before it gets better. People like Burr and Chappelle are the last of a dying breed. I miss comedy. I don't think it'll be back to what it once was in my lifetime. Keep in mind, I have a crappy diet and I'm in my mid 40's, so my lifetime might end up being 18 months.
Any thoughts on this?
