Todd Phillips drew outrage over his comments about leaving comedy because of woke culture. This came after Charlie Day made similar comments. This also came after Dave Chappelle’s Sticks and Stones, which I highly recommended in my Friday review a few weeks ago. The Leftist outlets slammed the comedy special as unfunny, sexist, and various fictional phobias. Todd Phillip’s criticism of woke PC culture was received with all sorts of garbage arguments in reaction. The most common one I saw was that he is lazy and cannot be funny in modern time. Similar to how Dave Chappelle was called a dinosaur by the left.
This argument is extremely flawed. But first, let’s run through Todd Phillip’s filmography real quick. Road Trip, Old School, and The Hangover are among his timeless classics in the comedy genre. These movies were funny then, and are still funny now. Unlike a modern Adam Sandler movie, they have rewatch value. These movies also likely would not be allowed to be made today, least likely of all The Hangover. So if Todd Phillip’s style of comedy is relatively timeless despite being politically incorrect, is his talent really in question in present day. This does not dismiss the concern as to whether he is washed up. We’ll see how Joker is, but the previous move he wrote, War Dogs was well-received. So, unlike Will Ferrell trying to pitifully revive the Ron Burgundy character, we have no evidence yet to claim that Todd Phillips is a has-been.
The argument that humor has changed in such a short period of time fails under scrutiny. The most watched show on Netflix is The Office, a show that would not be allowed to be made today, as Steve Carell passive aggressively pointed out. Season one, though cringy, is very funny. Its (lesser) rival counterpart, Parks and Recreation, is a relatively balanced political comedy. But it’s not easy being funny and politically correct. Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, isn’t even a top five funniest character on the show where she’s the lead. Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Abrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, and Adam Scott are all funnier. Netflix wanted to pay Eddie Murphy $70 million for a special. His 1983 special on Netflix begins by making fun of gays. And guess what, his special is still really good.
The anti-sitcom, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, staring Charlie Day is well past its prime. But they can still produce high quality politically incorrect episode. The show is not held back by dated humor but nostalgia. It’s first episode is titled “The Gang Gets Racist” of all things. South Park is another example of a politically incorrect comedy whose decade old episodes are amazing. But the demise of South Park is correlated to the show’s acceptance of politically correct ideals. In 2016, the show basically endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, completely miscalculating on Trump to end such a bad season. Unable to thrive using season story arc, South Park has lost most humor. But politically incorrectness has nothing to do with this, even though the show’s downfall began at the same time as PC Principle was introduced making fun of PC culture. The show-writers got lazy, writing only ten episodes a season, because their devotion went towards monetizing their work through video games and other projects.
After having listed many shows that are politically incorrect and funny, I challenge the left to show us what they think is funny. Feminist comedy Tuca and Bertie was canceled by Netflix after one season, which indicates a pitiful ROI, since Netflix will throw (borrowed) money at anything. Of course, we are sexist for the flopping of the Ghostbusters remake, and we’re supposed to find Leslie Jones to be a stunning and brave comedian. Amy Schumer’s latest special flopped. BoJack Horseman, a tragical comedy, may be their best example, but the show has put out a handful of terrible episodes in the pursuit of this self-defeating goal. The show’s main source of humor are animal puns and total depravity, as it offers an in depth critique of nihilism. But the left’s late-night shows suck; no one watches the Oscars anymore.
Comedy, by its very nature, is to be politically incorrect. The boundaries of social taboo and the unnoticed details of humanity are to be brought to light. But comedy is also truth. The introduction of two or more premises that do not go together cause a semi-voluntary reaction. That’s why we laugh. In the end, political correctness is devoid of truth, and politically correct comedians are usually just activists doing spoken word, seeking applause or “clapter.” So, before the left wants to dictate what is and isn’t funny, perhaps they should prove their own concept first before rolling it out to the masses and canceling humor that people still enjoy.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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