The legal setting has created some boundaries for comedians. As a result, some comedians have been convicted in court because of inventing controversial phrases. However, the comic industry and the general public have often claimed that there should be no restrictions when it comes to comedy. The general feeling is that a joke should be taken as a joke and people should be allowed to joke about anything they feel like. With time, controversy has changed the way people view comedy. It influences people to consider it sometimes a little more seriously than it should be and sometimes a little less seriously than it should be observed. All this depends on the joke and how controversial it is. Controversy has always been the catalyst and motivation for comedy.
The present-day comedy may sometimes offend people with strong religious beliefs. For instance, a joke against their faith is likely to make them feel offended by it thus develops a confident attitude towards the comedian. However, sometimes it is just a joke and other times it may be an actual representation of their sentiments towards specific groups. The most challenging part is that one never gets to know. In the context which it is presented, it is supposed to be a joke. Another controversial issue is often presented in the form of crude language and sexual innuendo. There are live comedy shows in the United States that have in the past given warnings and disclaimers, which the word used may be offensive to those who are easily offended. Some shows have been limited to a particular age because using such speech in front of a minor may attract a lawsuit for charges of being against children's rights. In the past, comedy was just comedy for all ages. However, currently, comedians have to be careful about their audience and the kind of jokes they present regarding specific groups of people. Much as there was still a tinge of controversy those days, it cannot be compared to what is offered to the public these days.
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One of the most substantial controversial issues about comedy these days is the expression of individual political opinions. The political stand of a given comedian may determine his audience because sure people may become offended by his or her political stance, even if it is presented in the form of a joke. On the other hand, a comedian is also likely to attract a particular audience because of his or her political stunt. Much as most of their presentations as comedians have the sole purpose of making people laugh, one cannot control what they conclude in their minds about them.
Controversy has changed humor in the sense that people use it to express their ideas and feelings about certain things. Previously, humor had the sole purpose of amusing people and making them laugh. However, these days, besides amusement, it is also written and performed to communicate something. Comedians have started using their comedy to communicate societal issues which they feel are not right. They also use it to sway people into political ideologies which they think are better. Also, there is some information, for instance on homosexuality, which may require public awareness, comedians also use their performances to pass such messages to people.
Besides the language, political opinions and religious beliefs represented in-jokes, there is also one controversial and global issue; racism. Racism is a worldwide problem that is experienced everywhere in the world. It is one of the most sensitive issues to debate upon because somehow, someone will always lean into the side of their race. There have been claims that one is not supposed to laugh at a racist joke if they are not racist themselves. Also, some racist jokes are taken seriously and may be used in legal arguments to convict someone. One cannot eliminate controversy from comedy. However, the number of controversial issues presented currently keeps increasing with time. Therefore, it has influenced a lot in how people perceive and perform comic shows (Cabras, 2017).
Relevance and Importance of Absurd Comedy
Humor may not be as easy as it looks because comedians have to come up with something that will catch the audience by surprise. The internet has made comedy less exciting than it was in the past because it is never easy to create wonder. Before someone attends a show, they can look it up on Google and find out who is on the list of performers. They can then find them on their social media pages, go through their tweets and video uploads to know what to expect. Because of this, comedians have had to become a little more creative, and this has to employ the use of a bit of controversy. To catch the audience by the suspect, they have had to cross the boundaries of language use and presentation of healthy ideas. To remain relevant in the market, comedians have had to use contemporary issues to make their jokes.
Absurd comedy plays a massive role in amusing the millennial generation. The millennials have grown up in a world with plenty of freedom of expression. Most of what is presented in today’s film, music and culture could have been condemned in the past and termed as obscene. However, the current era is characterized by a lot of nudity in the entertainment industry, to a point where people are starting to view it as usual. Therefore, jokes that are conservative may find a hard time amusing the audience because they do not live in a traditional world. Instead, they have lived in a world where being a little erotic sells more than being conservative (Peters, 2013). They have lived in a generation where provocative language is no longer provocative. Therefore, for comedians to appeal to their audience, they have decided to cross the line dividing conservation and to be absurd. The millennials believe that a joke does not have to be logic for it to be funny. The essence of fun is to be funny, regardless of the meaning it presents, used in whatever context.
Absurd comedy served as a social construct in today's world because the entertainment industry has massively evolved over the past two decades. Most of the mannerisms and ideologies adopted by people in today's world are selected from the entertainment industry, where comedy is one of them. Today's music does not have to be meaningful or logical for it to be interesting. The same thing applies to comedy. Today's generation can spend hours on a show that presents pure nonsense. However, because it sounds funny and makes them laugh, they have accepted it to be part of their social life. The entertainment industry from the 19 th century also had its nature of surreal. However, not many comedians chose to do absurd comedy (Cabras, 2017). However, it the 21 st century, it has become the demand of the market, and almost all professions in the entertainment industry have accepted absurdity to be the flavor in their presentations. It may not make much sense to an older adult, but the millennials enjoy it.
Absurd comedy has increased the variety of comedy in the industry, thus giving more job opportunities to those who can perform it and give them platforms to showcase their talents. Initially, the comic was viewed as an entire body with no categories, and one had to possess certain traits in their comic for them to be able to be given a chance to perform in front of a crowd. However, presently, things have changed because comedy has different categories, with absurd comedy being one of them. It has increased opportunities for comedians since it found its way to the entertainment industry.
The Effects of Sexual Assault in the Comedy Kitchen
The comedy kitchen refers to any form of a comic whose setting is in the kitchen. Over time, with the evolution of the comic industry, there have been different TV shows having chefs as the comedians. However, through the past five years, there are kitchen comedians that have been accused of sexual assault. Inappropriate conduct has been the trend of the day among famous kitchen comedians, and this has had a significant impact on how society views the industry in general (Compton & Miller, 2011).
Behind the kitchen TV scenes, there are illegal sexual behaviors that go on. Most male comedians have been found guilty of the crimes they are accused of. It is almost evident that these are not false allegations because investigations show that such things do happen. Besides, it would be absurd for different people to come up with fake accusations towards the same group of people. For instance, Mario Batali from ‘The Chews,' brought to light the illegal behaviors that go on behind the scenes and go unnoticed. The famous chef retired from the industry because of multiple sexual allegations against him. The charges were dangerous because it was said that the misconduct had been going for about 20 years. Some of these allegations cause the most talented comedians of their time to retire before they can finish their mission. For instance, the pressure that was building up against Batali caused his retirement. According to reports, the reason why most of these kitchen comedians misbehave is that they have an impressive profile. Some of their victims may be scared of going against them (Herbert).
Harassment by kitchen comedians in the workplace also causes tarnishing of the public image for the company that the accused works for as well as their perception. People begin to view the industry as one that allows misconduct in the workplace. Also, business is affected because of some of these behaviors. For instance, in 2017, several women came up to accuse Ken Friedman of sexual assault. The story was disturbing because he was a talented and respected man whose input in the industry was essential. The accusations against Friedman saw a significant adverse impact on his restaurant, ‘The Spotted Pig’ which had housed multiple comedy shows. The ladies also similarly made their claims, saying they were taken to private rooms and assaulted, and that they had been scared to come up and tell the truth about it. The most saddening bit about the accusation is that Friedman was not apologetic about the whole ordeal. Instead, it was soon thrown under the cover like other incidents (Maynard).
In the case of allegations of sexual assault, all the other businesses that are associated with the restaurant where the accused chef worked crumble down together with him. Such a scenario happened for John Besh, a celebrity comedian chef from New Orleans was charged with sexual assault. A total of 25 employees of his company accused him of sexual harassment against women. This was such an alarming number, and it was reported by CNN where a woman claimed that the chef took advantage of her when she was in her sleep. The Harrah’s Casino, which was a significant investment in the city also crumbled because it was associated with the restaurant. The restaurants that were under Besh started to operate under new names to remove the sexual assault label from being attached to them (Whitefield).
‘ The Great American Baking Show’ that was initially aired on ABC was stopped because the main celebrity chef was accused of sexual assault. Johnny Luzzini was accused of sexual harassment against a sum of eight women. One of the major effects of these sexual assaults in the comedy kitchen is that they cause the loss of great investments. For instance, the mentioned show was a great investment that was discontinued as a result of sexual assault accusations. Paul Hollywood, the co-host of the show ‘The Great British Baking Show' was also part of the show. His premiere that was almost through with production had to be discontinued as a result. Luzzini, the famous pastry chef was also not apologetic. Instead, he denied most of the allegations. He claimed that some of them were purely unintentional and not meant to hurt any individual. He also could not recall other instances. The effect here is that the glory of such talent is lost. Also, most of the victims are not compensated because of lack of evidence to prove their claims (Locket).
Conclusion
As discussed above, there are various ways in which controversy has changed how the comedy industry operates. For instance, people have become comfortable to use inappropriate language and joke about sensitive topics. Also, absurd comedy has become the order of the day, because it is almost sure that it is the only way to cause amusement these days. Also, in the comedy industry, an unlikable trend of sexual assault has taken root as many celebrities have taken advantage of their positions to mistreat those that are under them. Those who are in power, especially in the entertainment industry have often taken advantage of the meek by assaulting them and expecting them not to come up and say it. This has changed the perspective in which people view the comedy industry. Great talent has been discontinued due to sexual allegations. Great TV shows have been indefinitely suspended, and the issue has never gotten a permanent solution.
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