Not my favorite stand-up comedy special, but not the worst I’ve seen either.
Yet another comedy show triggered a shitstorm on social media, so I felt I should watch it and draw my own conclusion regarding its allegedly outrageous content.
This time it was Ricky Gervais’ “SuperNature” Netflix special which many considered not funny, boring, but above all transphobic, whatever that means in this context.
I watched the thing, and mainly liked it.
It wasn’t the best piece of comedy, Gervais is not one of my favorite comedians, and I thought the show’s main value came from the underlying social commentary, which I fully agree with.
Now, I found it irreverent, insensitive, and unnecessarily vulgar at times — which made it not my kind of humor — but I could not detect any portion of it that could be labeled as aggressive toward any group.
Comedy is… comedy. It’s a form of expression, protected by freedom of speech and the related legal aspects.
I believe that unless the words are part of an aggressive objective act, then anything and anyone can be the subject of ridicule, no exceptions.
Here is an article where I address the matter in detail.: Assertively About: The Freedom Of Speech | Limits, The Right to Offend, and Social Implications.
I’d rather not joke about personal tragedies and abusive behaviors, but we’ve been laughing at blondes, women, men, politicians, priests, celebrities, cats, and everything else under the sun, for… well, since pretty much forever.
I see no reason to place a group under a “protected from ridicule” umbrella.
It’s a joke. Learn to deal with things that you personally find offensive. It’s a skill.
Don’t demand the world build you a cocoon that you can hide into. We’re all out here, having fun, saying things — some smarter than others, but it’s part of life.
Learn to separate your feeling of self-worth from external validation and you will navigate this life and world in a more pleasant way.
Thank you for reading.