Raphael Bob-Waksberg did an interview with VICE and one topic which drew my attention was that of political correctness and censorship, specifically in comedy. This is a discussion that often seems to pop up on Gaf when someone laments the state of comedy, or even society as a whole, so I thought I'd share a perspective from the other side of the coin.
For the media in general really, not just comedy, I'm very much for people being aware of the power they may have so it was refreshing to see someone in his position take 'ownership' of it.
You can read the whole thing here. Doesn't include any major spoilers for the show either so it's safe to read if you haven't seen the show. Season four out September 8th too!
The big debate within the comedy community is the idea of "political correctness," and whether its censorship or valid criticism. Where do you stand on that?
Well censorship is a strong word, right?
I think most people who argue for what you might call political correctness, are not actually arguing for censorship. They're arguing for self-control and self-restraint. They're arguing for people to be conscious of the power they have, right? And I believe that I have a lot of power, as someone making popular entertainment. I do think we have to be careful about the art we put out. We want to make the argument that our art has power so we can't then also say that it has no effect over people, these people are adults who can make their own decisions. I think the art we make influences people, and I think with that power comes great responsibility, to quote Spiderman.
I don't want the government to be censoring people, I don't think there should be censoring boards, but I think that means that we the artists need to be very careful about what we're putting out and what were saying and how we're saying it. And I don't think we're being as careful as we should be.
It's the difference between punching up and punching down.
Absolutely. I'm really glad that kind of idea is starting to take hold. I think that's a great way to kind of frame it. I don't necessarily think anything is off limits but you have to know who your audience is and know who you're talking to and what kind of jokes you're making.
For the media in general really, not just comedy, I'm very much for people being aware of the power they may have so it was refreshing to see someone in his position take 'ownership' of it.
You can read the whole thing here. Doesn't include any major spoilers for the show either so it's safe to read if you haven't seen the show. Season four out September 8th too!