Stand-up comedy is a medium that, of course, has always thrived on taboos and scandals. Unfortunately, this means that it has become a battleground for culture wars in recent years.
It’s no surprise that there is some resistance among mainstream comics to the so-called “woke agenda” as the world tires of their unfunny squabbles, but it’s surprising that it’s 2024 and great comedians aren’t always creating entire shows to defend their rights. make extremely offensive jokes about disabled people and transgender people, as Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle did in Netflix comedy specials released within a week of each other. I won’t give them the pleasure of calling it “shocking” because that’s what they both want.
However, it is important to consider whether they have dragged the streaming platform onto the playing field, or whether their unnecessary controversies are being deliberately exploited.
Almost anyone capable of rational conversation can generally agree on what is clearly disruptive and what is downright harmful. Comedian James Acaster’s sketch of Gervais’ rant on his 2019 show. Cold lasagna, I hate myself, 1999.He sums it up very well: “A comedian always says, ‘Tough luck, that’s my job, I’m a stand-up comedian, I’m here to challenge people.’ If you don’t like a challenge, don’t watch my show. What’s wrong boys, is this too difficult for you? Yes, because you know who should have taken on the challenge long ago? Trans community.” The clip resurfaced online this week following the release of Gervais’ special. Armageddon – And yet, it is so. Armageddon something that everyone talks about, contrary to common sense.
Netflix’s comedy offerings seem to have degenerated into the kind of big-budget megastar shows that no one wants anymore. But this is no coincidence. The special launched in 2013 and gradually gained popularity among competitors such as HBO, Comedy Central and in the UK. Stay at Apollo (Unlike the latter show, Netflix often films appearances during the comedian’s ongoing tour.) In 2017, after a hiatus, Chappelle, who had long found success in insult shock comedies, returned to Netflix, and the success of his “Specials” series of the same name strengthened the streamer’s dominance in the comedy market. Since then, Chappelle has released four more special editions.
It’s not enough to give Gervais’s or Chappelle’s jokes more airtime, suffice it to say that most of these two shows consist of material about the disabled, gays, trans, rape, immigrants, the triviality of climate change, and success consists of every comedian who succeeds, again and again making such jokes. And both made it into the top 10 on the Netflix charts.
But aside from being depressing for obvious reasons, it’s a shame that Netflix specials are regularly annoying. Because historically it has provided a much-needed platform for lesser-known but up-and-coming comics to reach new audiences. The first performance was with Aziz Ansari in 2013, who was relatively unknown outside the country at the time. Parks and Recreation; Comedians such as Hannah Gadsby, Bo Burnham and Ali Wong have produced specials that have rightfully boosted their careers. In the early years, names like Joe Rogan, Pete Davidson and Michael McIntyre simply joined smaller, more interesting acts. Now, it’s hard not to assume that Netflix only wants the biggest names.
Even shows like this just create a vicious cycle – because other comedians feel like they have to say something, which perpetuates the idea that comedy is always about these issues. “I definitely feel responsible for what’s going on culturally in the United States and how big, high-profile comedians are targeting the trans community at a time when it’s so weak,” said Mae Martin, who is non-binary . Daily Beast last year.
A few days before the Christmas release of his special, Gervais boasted on Twitter that Netflix “failed” to promote it, but there was no need to because it would be popular anyway. The implication is that so many people agree with him and find him funny that he doesn’t need the support of a multi-million dollar company. In fact, he really needs Netflix – and that’s the problem. Without platforms like these, Gervais would have fallen out of favor years ago, playing to small but enormously large audiences, or been forced to return to the edgy, humane comedy that made him famous two decades ago.
Instead, he reportedly received several million himself, and his name, like Chappelle’s, is once again on everyone’s lips. Netflix specials could easily be about promoting original comedic talent – they now too often feature out-of-touch men seeking relevance and serving it up on a silver platter.
Source: I News
I am Harvey Rodriguez, an experienced news reporter and author with 24 News Reporters. My main areas of expertise are in entertainment and media. I have a passion for uncovering stories about the people behind the scenes that bring the entertainment world to life. I take pride in providing my readers with timely and accurate information on all aspects of the entertainment industry.