Monday, June 15, 2015

Is Political Correctness Killing Comedy?


Known for his brand of sophisticated observational humor, comedian Jerry Seinfeld may seem like an unlikely individual to be ringing a warning bell about the mounting threat against freedom of expression that political correctness is currently posing. However, after remarks made on ESPN radio and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" appeared on the Internet, Seinfeld appears to have taken center stage on the touchy speech issue.

First, during a guest spot on Colin Cowherd's ESPN radio show, the King of Sitcoms discussed obstacles that have been created as a result of speech restrictions stemming from political correctness on college campuses. He told radio host Cowherd, "I don't play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, 'Don't go near colleges. They're so PC.' They just want to use these words: 'That's racist;' 'That's sexist;' 'That's prejudice.' They don't know what the hell they're talking about."

In a round two of sorts, during a further discussion on the topic on Meyers's late-night talk show, Seinfeld stoked the PC furnace by making reference to the increasing need for comedians to apologize for material that has been labeled offensive by the new politically correct filters being placed on discourse. "There's a creepy PC thing out there that really bothers me," he remarked. [more...]

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