On Humor, Politics, and Being Offended
The ability to get offended and the integrity to say so is one of the most important skills a politically conscious individual can possess. It shows that you have values and are willing to risk compromising yourself or your friendships in order to defend them. However, you also have to acknowledge that a lot of people use getting offended as a weapon, censoring ideas with double standards by calling some ideas “offensive” and halting all conversation on that topic — particularly in regard to jokes.
To clarify, I agree that many jokes are in bad taste, offensive, or otherwise just shouldn’t be told because of the message I convey. However, I firmly reject the notion that some things “shouldn’t be joked about,” just like I reject the idea that any topic is beyond the scope of film, poetry, or drama.
Are you sure you want to get sucked into all this madness? It's rife with politic intrigue, awesome comedic timing, and just plain, hysterical ravings at times.
