Anyway, I have long been a fan of Rob Delaney due to his being hilarious, but his firm stance on feminist issues has only made me love him more. As can be seen in the youtube clips and tweets below, he often attacks the misogynist male community that many of us have painfully encountered. To sweeten the pot, the dude has an ongoing twitter flirtation with acclaimed feminist poet, Margret Atwood. Dude is awesome and I love him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNnczOJIITI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-id9-Wy_xfQ
Tweets:
-I love gay people. Or as I sometimes call them, "people."
-I was considering voting for @mittromney, but then I remembered I ENTERED THE WORLD THROUGH A VAGINA.
-If I were a woman, when I encountered sexism I’d be like “BRB, I’m gonna go *MAKE A HUMAN* IN MY BODY LIKE A MAGICAL GOD, YOU SAD OAF.”
-My dick just gets me in trouble. Yesterday it slashed a cop’s tires & called my cousin the R word.
-A hairy armpit on a woman is like a yummy adult pussy RIGHT NEXT to a boob! If you ain’t into that, you ain’t into women.
-If you see a woman breastfeeding during the shutdown, call the police. That is socialism & it is illegal &
-.
-First a woman nominated to head Fed, then one gets Nobel Prize for Lit. What’s next, a woman grows a man in her body & trains it to breathe?
Honestly, I have never heard of Rob Delaney before! He is absolutely phenomenal. I must admit, when I was younger, I absolutely adored Dane Cook, and when I discovered Daniel Tosh senior year of high school, I thought he was absolutely hysterical. Rob Delaney is a prime example of taking comedy and using it in a very tasteful way by still being hysterical. I think it says a lot as a comedian if you can still be considered hilarious and talented by telling jokes against societal norms. The stereotypical "funny" joke is about black people, women, and gay individuals. This guy takes activism to a whole new level by showing that maybe it's even funnier to look at how stupid our society is.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about Daniel Tosh that a friend told me before, which probably is true but I'm not positive. He said that Daniel Tosh said that he makes jokes about women and about black people and other oppressed, minority groups because it is "true." Daniel Tosh says that he makes these jokes about women and black people etc. etc. because that is what societal, stereotypical norms say. Although I don't agree with him about his jokes, he has a really good point. Once our society finally does a self-evaluation about these sexist and racist jokes, comedians will probably keep doing it because it gets laughs! It gets them a job! People believe this bullshit!
Moral of the story, Rob Delaney is phenomenal and really gutsy for being able to stand up to societal norms. But as a society, we need to start reflecting on ourselves and understand why a joke is so "funny" when someone says it. Is it because a minority group of individuals are being oppressed because of it?
I totally agree Kirstin. I have heard a similar defense from Tosh before- here is my problem with it. Lets give him the benefit of the doubt and say that his whole career is, as you noted, a satirical criticism of societal perceptions and norms we have. Well, Daniel, that's great that you are able to be so reflective and critical. Do your audience members know that this is what is happening? Do the mid-puberty privileged thirteen year old males that watch your show realize that you are not approving of the things that you say, but rather performing a satire? Because last time I checked you haven't exactly branded yourself as a satirist like Mr. Colbert. I don't necessarily believe that he has bad intentions, but rather that he is ignorant to the negative influence he has- that is, contributing to a generation of young men who think that offensive and mean are inherently funny.
ReplyDeleteI am curious how others feel about two of my other favorite sources of comedy- Mr. Louis CK and South Park. While I definitely rationalize my fandom with arguments that they are actually female/minority friendly boundary pushers, I am very cognizant of arguments from the other side. Please school me if you feel I am being ignorant.
I honestly, have no knowledge of any of these comedians but I loved Rob Delany's tweets! I like the point that Hannah makes about Tosh.0 that is so dangerous. From what I do know about Daniel Tosh, it's that he's got a rude sense of humor and he makes fun of everyone..
ReplyDeleteBut if he doesn't market himself the way Colbert does, as a satirist, how are the pubescent middle class white males supposed to get it?! But sometimes I wonder how many people are in on Colbert's joke that haven't heard of him.. ya know? I still am not sure how I feel about humor as a form or activism..
Sometimes I wonder if these comedians are really making a political point with their offensive jokes, or if they just use that as an excuse. Like really, how many comedians can be these amazing activists? I don't know if I buy it.
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