Did you hear the one about the comedian who was canceled?
Comedians are no strangers to controversy or crossing the line. But some things do change. Humorists the world over are no longer simply denounced in grouchy op-eds. Now comedians are being hounded by criminal investigations and civil suits. They are menaced by vigilantes and religious fundamentalists. Some have been forced into exile, imprisoned, or even murdered. In the age of social media and global digital distribution, the audience is everyone, ensuring that criticism can be as vicious as it is unavoidable.
Darkly witty, and with a flair for storytelling, Jacques Berlinerblau explores the high stakes of the low blow from popular comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, and Sarah Silverman to humorists from France to Zimbabwe, Egypt, and North Korea. As comedians face growing legal and physical peril, not just humor but laughter itself is becoming suspect.
Arvustused
"A thought-provoking portrait of the consequences of contemporary offensive humor." * Kirkus Reviews * "[ Berlinerblau] delivers a thought-provoking survey of contemporary comedians who have sparked controversy. . . . a thorough report on the shifting landscape of modern comedy. * Publishers Weekly * "Berlinerblau argues that the United States still agrees--mostly--on the importance of free speech, in all its complexity and messiness...[ and assesses] changing norms in an era of ideological contention and internet vitality." * Forward *
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Slap to the Consensus
Part One. Comedic Controversies in the United States: Artists Get "Canceled"
but the Consensus Holds (for the Most Part)
1. Dave Chappelle: Audience Participation
2. Sarah Silverman: Un-canceled, Self-canceled, Un-cancelable
3. Is "Cancellation" Gendered? Kathy Griffin and Shane Gillis
Part Two. Comedic Controversies in Other Liberal Democracies: The Consensus
Under Siege
4. The Ab/uses of an Audience: Vir Das
5. Charlie Hebdo: The Terrorist's Veto
6. Dieudonné M'bala M'bala: Postcolonial Provocateur, Consensus Destroyer
Part Three. No Consensus: Jokes in Non-Democratic Spaces
7. "I'm Just a Satirist": Politainment and Bassem Youssef
8. Premeditated Provocation and Zimbabwe's Pseudo Consensus
9. The Interview: Comedic War Games
Conclusion: Troll Your Own
Notes
Index
Jacques Berlinerblau, Rabbi Harold White Professor of Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University, is author of The Philip Roth We Dont Know: Sex, Race, and Autobiography and How to Be Secular. His writing appears in The Washington Post, MSNBC, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and elsewhere.
