Lindy West & Free Speech In Comedy
A lot of you out in the world that follow stand up comedy may have seen a TV show called Totally Biased that showcased a debate between well known stand up comic, Jim Norton, and feminist blogger, Lindy West, who writes for the online publication Jezebel. And if you followed this situation, you'd be aware that the crowd was divided on the debate and nothing was really settled. They both made their points and no minds were necessarily changed. Shortly thereafter, Lindy West was bombarded with YouTube comments calling her a fat, humorless cunt that should be raped and/or killed (or colorful variations of that statement). You would know this because she made a video where she read them with a straight, emotionless face to show that she had been exhausted by the vitriol that was hurled at her for stating an opinion on an issue.
Now, Roseanne Barr has come out with her opinion piece on the situation, writing an article telling us why it's okay to tell rape jokes. Roseanne was both praised and labeled as an insane rambler for this article. Her feminism was even challenged by some for this article. The godmother of feminist comedy was accused of no longer being a feminist because of an opinion piece that was giving a new perspective on the situation. In her article, she challenged Lindy West to a debate. Then twitter exploded and shit splattered everywhere. Instead of agreeing to a debate, Lindy turned it into a war of words and even called for Roseanne to be fired from her job writing for Bust Magazine. Everyone from celebrity comics such as Roseanne and Jim Norton to local comics from all areas were drug into this free speech shit storm. Cyber gore was splattered all over and it was hard to see through the shit so you could see the heart of the issue.
Contrary to popular belief, Lindy West has never said that you CAN'T do rape jokes (or any other jokes). She simply stated that we, as comics , should think before we speak and maybe exercise some empathy when dealing with a subject. Also, she feels that the victim should never be the punchline. I agree with all that, actually. It makes sense as a human being, let alone a comic. That isn't censorship or advocating it as much as it's common sense. Think before you speak is something I think we can all agree on. But then there was everything else she made a point about that I take issue with. First thing was her attitude on her televised debate with Jim Norton. It was shitty at best...disrespectful, pompous & holier than thou at worst. Her first answer to a question in the debate was "Well first off, that question is stupid" instead of a simple yes or no. Then she proceeded to tell Jim Norton and the host "You have the right to say whatever you want, and I have the right to call you a dick for it" which equates simply to "I have the right to insult you for your opinion". Remember how I said earlier that she was reading YouTube comments about her on a video she posted? The one where she was being insulted for stating an opinion? Welcome to the internet, Lindy. You told them all that was okay to do. You dropped blood into a troll shark tank by saying that on national TV.
Then she was asked if comedy was a generally hostile place for women. Her response was jaw-droppingly shitty. "Well comedy clubs are dark basements full of angry males…" was what came out of her mouth next. She basically lumped every male comedian and comedy fan together as an angry, scary individual. She essentially called comedy clubs rape dens full of potential angry rapists. Sorry to burst your bubble, Lindy, but comedy clubs are also well lit rooms full of mouthy, drunk women that can't be contained half the time so they get kicked out. Bad audience members are not gender specific. I've dealt with as many angry women as I have men in a comedy club. I can understand if she doesn't get to see this very much though since she is not a comedian herself. She's a writer that has done open mics. She's not a comic and I'd be willing to bet that the amount of actual comedy clubs that she's stepped foot into is pretty low. So far, she's made one valid point followed with hypocrisy, fear mongering and uneducated vilifying. But let's move on, shall we?
I cannot and will not attack Lindy as an individual. I do not know her personally so it is not my place. But I will absolutely comment on her media presence. I've read many of her articles…some I've liked, some I've loathed. I've seen her videos. I applaud her success as a writer. She's popular and has made herself a decent name online. My issue is that her writing panders and is borderline religious in its brainwashing nature. It is damn near televangelical at times. I get that Jezebel is a feminist publication and I'm fine with the feminist nature of her writing. That isn't my issue at all. My issue is that it comes off as preachy in a very pretentious way. Many of her articles are written in a snarky, asshole tone as if she is writing it from atop an ivory soapbox scoffing at those below her. That is what I hate about it. Plain and simple, her writing style is very snarky and pretentious, as well as ignorant.
And finally, I take issue with her playing the part of a victim now. She isn't a victim. She is being hit with a heavy dose of karma. She opened the door and even gave people permission to insult her over her opinion. Then she decided to sample responses from a fucking YouTube comment thread of all things. That is where logical thinking goes to die. YouTube comment threads are troll circle jerks. So seeing people call her a fat cunt that is too ugly to rape is hardly a surprise. I may not agree with them, but it sure the fuck isn't a surprise. If her only argument for being a victim is a youtube comment thread and Neanderthal people saying the easiest possible insult in this situation, I have no sympathy and call complete bullshit. She's not a victim. She is getting a dose of what she said we all had the right to do: Call her a dick for what she said. Or in this case, a fat cunt that's too ugly to be raped.
My final thought is this: Nobody is trying to push censorship, comics, so drop that argument. Thinking before you speak isn't a bad idea. Try it so you can live and die by the sword with the knowledge that you thought out your argument before you said it. Stop hating Lindy West personally for her opinion, hate her writing if you're going to hate anything. Then you're a critic, not a vitriolic cunt. Focus on things that matter in comedy like good pay, quality content and getting your name out there. Not some fabricated fear campaign over this fake rape joke epidemic. Focus on booking, support those rape dungeon comedy clubs Lindy talked about, build venues, get more paid work for yourselves & your fellow comics instead of bullshit free shows. Build a resume, focus on your writing and fill your calendar. Leave the foot-in-mouth disease to the bloggers. We're all above that, comics. Time to start acting like it.
jacobvanloon
titsay
dailybridgerton
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