Slutaquiddick from two stand up comics’ POV:
In a sane world, comedians (who are inclined and capable of making jokes of a somewhat socio-political nature) would have viewed the testimony of Sandra Fluke as a “comedy wet dream.” How else to characterize a 30-year-old woman who testifies in front of our elected officials in Washington, in a highly-publicized event, that she spends a thousand dollars a year in birth control?!
To be sure, there were some brave souls– fellow comics– who attempted to make similar jokes online (particularly on Facebook or on Twitter), but they were few. And their efforts were quickly swamped by a tsunami of petitions and scolding and name-calling and shaming by those who felt it far more important to get Rush Limbaugh off the air. The spectacle of standup comics seeking to silence an entertainer and force him off the air was truly disheartening.
Up until now, folks were perfectly willing to put up with Maher calling Sarah Palin a “cunt.” Even though the insults were somewhat asymmetrical. (As The Female Half points out, on the insult scale, “cunt” far outweighs “slut.” “You may see hundreds of women walking behind a sign that proudly advertises a “slut walk,” says she. “But you’ll never seen anyone walking behind a banner that trumpets a “cunt walk.”)
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Meanwhile, Louis CK has pulled out of “nerd prom”.
My take?
Greta van Sustern and Brent Bozell and whoever were exactly right to point out the double standard re: CK and Limbaugh.
But that’s all anybody on our side should do:
Point. Things. Out.
Unless the person is on the public payroll, don’t call for cancellations or bannings or firings, or then you’re the villain.
At most, imply it. Otherwise, do the “Hey, I’m just asking questions…” thing.
In this case, van Susteren was particularly over the top (“pig” etc.) She looked like an idiot.
As I’ve written before, my first exposure to Louis CK were his Palin tweets, and I’ve never been able to shake that negative impression.
I find the spin on CK just as pathetic as I would any desperate special pleading for someone on “our” side.
I’m sick of “he’s (just) an entertainer” or whatever.
He (or she), whoever they are, is an American citizen and an adult. Say what you want, then be prepared to either stand by it or apologize.
And defenders: admit that you’re biased because so-and-so is “on your team” and you’ve got years of accumulated affection capital socked away under their name.
But other people sifting through CK’s tweets or Rush Limbaugh’s transcripts like they’re the Zapruder film is a masterbatory time suck.
