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Comedians are no strangers to controversy or crossing the line. But some things do change. Humorists the world over are no longer simply denounced in grouchy op-eds. Now comedians are being hounded by criminal investigations and civil suits, or forced off the airwaves. They are menaced by vigilantes and religious fundamentalists. Some have been forced into exile, imprisoned, or even murdered. In the age of social media and global digital distribution, the audience is everyone, ensuring that criticism can be as vicious as it is unavoidable.
With a flair for storytelling, Jacques Berlinerblau explores the high stakes of the low blow in this darkly witty examination of American comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Shane Gillis, and Sarah Silverman as well as humorists in France, Denmark, Zimbabwe, and Egypt.
"A thought-provoking portrait of the consequences of contemporary offensive humor."
"[Berlinerblau] delivers a thought-provoking survey of contemporary comedians who have sparked controversy. . . . a thorough report on the shifting landscape of modern comedy.”
"Berlinerblau argues that the United States still agrees--mostly--on the importance of free speech, in all its complexity and messiness...[and assesses] changing norms in an era of ideological contention and internet vitality."
"Smart, nuanced, and well-informed...By covering–and insightfully analysing–a broad range of comedy controversies, Berlinerblau effectively sets out the landscape stand-ups have to negotiate, why things are the way they are, and how sometimes comedians can be their own worst enemy."
“In his new book, Berlinerblau, who describes himself as ‘neither right nor left’ politically, explores the genre of modern comedy and the recent cultural hostility toward jokes perceived by some as ‘crossing the line.’”
"Meticulously researched."
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Slap to the Consensus
Part One. Comedic Controversies in the United States: Artists Get "Canceled" but the Consensus Holds (for the Most Part)
1. Dave Chappelle: Audience Participation
2. Sarah Silverman: Un-canceled, Self-canceled, Un-cancelable
3. Is "Cancellation" Gendered? Kathy Griffin and Shane Gillis
Part Two. Comedic Controversies in Other Liberal Democracies: The Consensus Under Siege
4. The Ab/uses of an Audience: Vir Das
5. Charlie Hebdo: The Terrorist's Veto
6. Dieudonné M'bala M'bala: Postcolonial Provocateur, Consensus Destroyer
Part Three. No Consensus: Jokes in Non-Democratic Spaces
7. "I'm Just a Satirist": Politainment and Bassem Youssef
8. Premeditated Provocation and Zimbabwe's Pseudo Consensus
9. The Interview: Comedic War Games
Conclusion: Troll Your Own
Notes
Index