Did you hear the one about the comedian who was canceled?

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.

About the Author

Jacques Berlinerblau, Rabbi Harold White Professor of Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University, is author of The Philip Roth We Don’t Know: Sex, Race, and Autobiography and How to Be Secular. His writing appears in The Washington Post, MSNBC, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and elsewhere.

Contents

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

Reviews

"A thought-provoking portrait of the consequences of contemporary offensive humor."
— Kirkus Reviews

"[Berlinerblau] delivers a thought-provoking survey of contemporary comedians who have sparked controversy. . . . a thorough report on the shifting landscape of modern comedy.”
— Publishers Weekly

"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."
— Forward

"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."
— Chortle

“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.’”
— The College Fix

"Meticulously researched."
— ABC-TV World News Now ‘Barry’s Bookshelf’

"Can We Laugh at That? Comedy in a Conflicted Age will be a positive step for lay citizens and possibly even thoughtful government officials to work together to reduce the current conflicts in comedy. Free speech should remain at least mostly free in America and elsewhere in the world."
— Pittsburgh Review of Books

“The one who is laughing defines what is funny, including comedy that is provocative or nasty. But at what point does comedy become hate speech issuing from xenophobia, misogyny, bias, or rage? Jacques Berlinerblau’s Can We Laugh at That?: Comedy in a Conflicted Age examines this issue.”
— On the Seawall

“Extremist groups and governments are becoming more brazen in the squelching of humorous material intended to satirize regimes, religion, or propaganda. . . . With a keen understanding of politics, parody, and pastiche, Berlinerblau shows how dangerous this can get for those trying to stir up their audiences, or trying to point out the clownish or dangerous natures of national systems and industries.”
— On the Seawall

"Jacques Berlinerblau’s examination of comedy’s place in today’s combative landscape is thorough and insightful, and also made me reconsider becoming a dentist."—Robert Smigel, creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, former writer for Saturday Night Live, and head writer for Late Night with Conan O’Brien

"In this timely work, Berlinerblau catalogs the key comedic controversies of our time with keen insight and unparalleled attention to detail. This book is both a compelling read in the here and now and a time capsule for future generations seeking to understand comedy in an age of rapid cultural change and extreme political polarization."—Matt Sienkiewicz, coauthor of That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

Reviews