Bob Newhart: 'On Being Politically Correct Comedy'

Source:B.V. Dahlen- Good job, Bob!

Source:The Daily Review 

"Bob Newhart on "Being Politically Correct", at the Bob Newhart Show, The Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia. March 16, 2012."

From B.V. Dahlen

I like Bob Newhart's line about gays and straights implying at least that we're both funny and we just make fun of each other.

I swear to God (even though I'm Agnostic) that gay men especially, because lesbians tend not to be as sensitive, (ha, ha) could make all the butch masculine straight-men jokes all they want and straight men would probably just laugh at them. Because we know ourselves and know so many straight men and how we tend to act.

But if you make a feminine gay man joke and make fun of a queen, you're automatically viewed as a bigot and homophobe by the Illiberal-Left Political Correctness Police. Even if you believe that gays, men and women, should have the same rights and responsibilities under law as straights, male or female. And that you're even friends with gay men and are friendly with lesbians.

I mean that is the whole point, right: when you make fun of someone or groups of people and that is all you're doing and you're not throwing slurs and bigoted insults and that sort of thing, not that bigots don't have a right to their sense of humor as well, that is all you're doing. You're jabbing at characteristics and flaws of people and groups.

When you make a gay man joke, or do an impression, you're not saying that all gay men are feminine and sound like women and walk like runway models and the whole deal. You're just making fun of queens who are gay men with feminine characteristics. Like being oversensitive and not crazy about people knowing who they are.

If comedians can't make of people, they might as well become car insurance salesman. (And saleswomen, to be politically correct) Because that is what life would be like for a comedian who isn't allowed to make fun of people. Either through their writing, or performances. One dreary day after another where you're literally counting how many times someone slammed the door in your face. After you told someone about the great car insurance deal you could give them on their Ford Escort. Except that you're not allowed to make fun of it, because you'll be accused of being bigoted towards door slammers.

Comedy and humor, is exactly that: Not exactly a true story, but someone making fun of something, or someone who has done something. Not to be taken seriously and by the way, great comedians generally have a self-deprecating sense of humor. So how about everyone else as well.