Reason: Nick Gillespie- Interviewing Ted Balaker: 'Can Americans Still Take a Joke? Comedians Say No'

Source:Reason Magazine- Comedians being interviewed for: Can Americans Still Take a Joke.

Source:The New Democrat

"We've all seen it a million times: a comedian tells a joke, someone else gets offended, someone else blogs about it, and then 'boom!,' outrage spreads across the land," says filmmaker Ted Balaker who is currently finishing up his latest documentary, "Can We Take A Joke?." The film, which features comedians Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Norton, Lisa Lampanelli, Adam Carolla, Karith Foster, and Penn Jillette, examines the role of comedy in our culture of constant outrage.

"Comedians don't even have the freedom of conscience to just be neutral on something," Balaker told Reason TV's Nick Gillespie. "[They] have to affirm what the cool kids believe."

From Reason Magazine

Can Americans still take a joke? That is really what this is about and for Americans who believe in political correctness, the answer is no. Doesn't mean they can't get a good joke and understand it. It just means they can take it.

Today's so-called social justice warriors are kind of like boxers with both a glass jaw and a beer belly. Sure! They can see the punches coming and know what they are, they just can't take them. For political correctness fascists, humor is only humor when the humor is directed at the opposition. When its directed at your side of the isle, or your team, crew, clique, whatever the hell you want to call it, the person delivering the humor is a racist, xenophobe, sexist, homophobe and many times all of those things at the same time.

I believe two big cultural problems that we have in America, is that we're no longer just divided politically, but culturally as well. It is no longer Left and Right, but cultural as well. The types of entertainment that you're into as well as entertainers also tends to define your politics as well. And a lot of the entertainers, have become very partisan as well.

Partisan entertainers make fun of the opposition all the time, but when someone takes shots at their side, they'll act like that person is the biggest bigot since Adolf Hitler. And that they should be deported to Siberia, or some place. And when you have entertainers who clearly come from one side of the isle ideologically, take shots at people their crew is supposed to protect, that person is considered a bigot and a traitor. Bill Maher comes to mind.

American politics and politicians, are so messed up right now, that you possibly can't blame just one side, or the other. This blog is called The New Democrat for good reason.

We are New Democrats ideologically and have a very strong liberal viewpoint, but this idea that Democrats and people on the Left are Einstein's and full of perfect genius's, who are completely unflawed, while Republicans and people on the Right are useless bigots who should be put into one giant time machine and sent back to the 1500s or something, is as believable as saying Pat Buchanan, is a gay, immigrant loving zen hipster, who embraces all cultures and loves all Americans. Who now says same-sex marriage should not only be legal everywhere, but we should invade countries where its currently illegal. Who would believe that?

Political correctness fascists, can't have it both ways. If making fun of Hillary Clinton is sexist, just because she's a woman, but taking shots at Michele Bachmann are perfectly legitimate, then neither is sexist and neither is legitimate.

If racial jokes about one group of Americans, generally Caucasian is not racist, then racial jokes about Asians and Africans are not racist either. If you're going to live in a liberal democracy, you need to be able to put up with all sorts of thoughts and ideas and ways of expressing one's self. Otherwise you'll end up in the nut house and perhaps have Michele Bachmann as your roommate. Or end up on Donald Trump's next reality show: Who Wants Donald Trump For President? Wait, that reality show is already playing. The only current hit show on CNN. Learn to take a joke and you'll live a lot longer and better.