I went to the O2 on Sunday night to see the comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. Chappelle, who survived an attempt to cancel him last year, didnt disappoint, delivering some hilarious, politically incorrect jokes, and Rock was equally seditious, although his set went on for too long. But the rest of the evening was pretty painful.
The effort it takes to get to this relic of the New Labour era is truly Herculean. Indeed, Rock made a joke about it, claiming hed set off from his hotel on Wednesday morning and only just arrived. The Tube station is North Greenwich, one beyond Canary Wharf, and your only hope of getting there in less than 90 minutes from west London is via jet ski along the Thames.
Once you arrive at the hideous carbuncle, youre herded to your gate like a pig being shown to its pen, and if you feel like a beer or a snack you have to queue for 45 minutes. Thats a recipe for boredom, not least because your mobile phone is placed in a sealed pouch the moment you arrive. If you still have an appetite by the time you get to the serving hatch, a hamburger and chips will cost you 16.50, and a pint of Budweiser the only draft lager available is 7.65. Ive had cheaper meals at Michelin-starred restaurants, and this was on top of the 150 Id paid for two tickets. If you have any goodwill left by the time you take your seat, youre a better person than me.
Needless to say, the build-up to the headline acts was interminable, made worse by an American MC whose name I have mercifully forgotten. His worst bit was an extended routine about the Queen and Prince Philip which began by reminding the audience that Meghan Markle had accused the royal family of being racist. Thank you, detective Markle, he said, the gag being that the allegation is so obviously true its hardly worth making. I mean, the Queen has colonised half the world, right? he said.
I immediately leaned over to my son Ludo and pedantically pointed out that, in fact, Britain had given up nearly all of its remaining colonies in the past 75 years. (Its a joke, Dad, he whispered.) The comedian then went on to describe a sex act between our 96-year-old monarch and her late husband which, to my horror, had the audience howling with mirth. I was so appalled I was tempted to walk out.
This was a turn-up for the books. I had come to see two comedians who are hated by left-wing puritans for making offensive jokes about people who cannot hit back, e.g. the LGBT community. Yet here I was, pursing my lips in disapproval because their warm-up man was targeting a woman who cant defend herself.
I regard myself as pretty broad-minded and dont think Ive ever been genuinely offended by a joke before, but I got an inkling of what it must be like to be a social justice warrior watching a Netflix special by a comedian you disapprove of. It wasnt just that the joke was in appalling taste, but the fact that others found it funny which was so upsetting. How dare you? I wanted to say to the person doubled over with laughter in front of me.
The revealing thing about the audiences reaction was that they clearly werent there because they regard Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle as heroes of the anti-woke movement. If they were, they wouldnt have laughed at a joke which involved taking it for granted that the Queen is racist. Later, they were equally appreciative of a gag by Rock ridiculing Markle for thinking it was racist of an unnamed member of the royal family to speculate about the colour of her and Harrys unborn child. Black people have the exact same conversations, he said. When I heard her say that, thats when I knew she didnt know any black people.
I loved that bit obviously, not least because this morsel of court gossip was the sole piece of evidence Meghan produced to back up her claim that the entire royal family is racist. But Rock didnt join the dots, so the audience were perfectly happy to laugh at this joke as well as the earlier one which essentially regurgitated Meghans baseless accusation. My conclusion is that Rock and Chappelle are clever enough to appeal to anti-woke warriors like me which is the reason they have been catapulted to the forefront of the culture wars without alienating their core audience, who arent really political.
On balance, Im glad I saw these two comics and I dont begrudge them the 150 (although I wont set foot in the O2 again). But it was a useful reminder that for most of their fans theyre not standard-bearers for free speech. Just a couple of funny guys.
See the rest here:
Ive finally been offended by a joke - The Spectator
- Manzi: Ducati teams wanted me to be disqualified, mistakes ... - Crash - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Today in History: July 24, Apollo 11 returns home from the moon - Plainview Daily Herald - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- McClellan: A trip to Scotland reveals a family motto that is just right - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- AMD CEO will consider other foundries besides Taiwan ... - Seeking Alpha - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Bill Maher Drools All Over Elon Musk in Softball Sitdown - The Daily Beast - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- QAnon's popularity has been fueled by the playful and participatory ... - LSE - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Its been rough, but we have to hang on - Santa Barbara News-Press - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Flamenco and a Venerated Teacher Return to Steps on Broadway - westsiderag.com - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- R.M.N. Director Cristian Mungiu on Xenophobia and the Dangers of Politically Correct Filmmaking - Hollywood Reporter - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- My baptism of fire into trucking - Big Rigs - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Sinicization of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang: An Indian View - Bitter Winter - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Diljit da jawab nahin: Why the munda made us go balle, balle - Times of India - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Why was Don Lemon fired by CNN? Veteran news anchor let go after 17 years - AS USA - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Agent Movie Review: A spy film that puts the fire in misfire - cinemaexpress - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Voice and Hammer - Longreads - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- This coronation is being styled in an apologetic tone - Reaction - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 21 Comedy Movies That Were Ahead of Their Time - MovieWeb - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Remembering Barry Humphries, art lover, artist and creator of Dame ... - Art Newspaper - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Everything you need to know about the 2023 Met Gala... - Jordan News - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 10 Sitcoms With Content That Hasn't Aged Well - Collider - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Things to do in Wilmington NC this weekend April 27-30 - StarNewsOnline.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Bill Maher Is Clueless About Chicago, Guns, and Poverty - The Daily Beast - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 10 Best R-Rated Comedies of the 21st Century, Ranked - Collider - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Let's talk tachles: What do Olim truly think of Israel? - Ynetnews - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Parker: Tim Scott and American exceptionalism | News, Sports, Jobs - Daily Herald - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Letters: 'When I say my name is Karen, will others think I'm a b---h?' - National Post - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Chef Shannons Byron Bay boys-only bash - The Age - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan: Why Salman Khans lone superhero formula doesnt work for the masses anymore - The Indian Express - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- THE OTHER SIDE: They left the dogsThe Tucker Trump Show - theberkshireedge.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Kenny vs. Spenny: Iconic Canadian frenemies prove some things never change - Global News - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Politician who called herself 'mother of the politically incorrect ... - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- CT man charged with threatening to kill Florida sheriff on 'hit list' for ... - Torrington Register Citizen - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- BROADWAY REVIEW: 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' is a total blast; plus it ... - New York Daily News - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Harvard donor Ken Griffin's backing of DeSantis stirs predictable ... - The Boston Globe - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- TV shows to watch this week: 'West Wing' fans should rally around ... - Star Tribune - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Why Is It So Hard to Watch 'Friends' Now? - Collider - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Belinda Carlisle: Touring with Green Day was one big hot mess - NME - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Chinese scholars believe in gender equality - Times Higher Education - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Five Year Social Media Ban For Online Preacher - Vision Christian Media - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- A Toast to Tom Eating His Feelings on Succession - Vulture - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Turtle love and the messages of Roald Dahl - The Saturday Paper - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- New Book Offers the CATHOLIC Case for ID - Discovery Institute - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Roy Chubby Brown to play Hanley gig tonight despite calls for show to be cancelled - Stoke-on-Trent Live - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- 4 dead, 28 wounded at U.S. birthday party shooting - inform.kz/en - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- People protest for ban on assault weapons in Washington - Independent - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments - Business Standard - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Night Jitters: TVs Late Crowd Grapples With Weakness in the Wee Hours - Variety - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Donald Trump called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a 'brilliant man' and said there is no one in Hollywood with the - Business Insider India - April 17th, 2023 [April 17th, 2023]
- /pol/ - Wikipedia - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- The Top 20+ Questions on Politically Correct Terms [with Answers!] - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- 15 Very Politically Incorrect Things That Are Also Absolutely True ... - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- From Politically Correct To Cancel Culture, How Accountability ... - NPR - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Is ChatGPT Partisan? Poems About Trump And Biden Raise Questions About The AI Bots BiasHeres What Experts Think - Forbes - February 5th, 2023 [February 5th, 2023]
- NM Gov. Grisham calls for new gun control laws, citing recent ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- What Does Woke Mean in Politics? - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Richard Barnett expected to testify in his trial - KATV - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Twitter suspends Babylon Bee over Rachel Levine 'Man of the Year' title - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- The Taste With Vir: To blame or not to blame the Civil Aviation Ministry - Hindustan Times - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- 'Yellowstone' Season 5, Episode 6 Recap: Jamie and Sarah Join Forces, Plan to Oust John as Governor - Entertainment Tonight - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Nick Kroll and More Take The Hollywood Reporters Annual Comedy Survey - Hollywood Reporter - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism - The World Economic Forum - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Netanyahu memoir: Dems feeling more leftist pressure on Israel than they publicly admit - Forward - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Living Among Trolls: It's Orwellian, But It's Real - odishabytes - OdishaBytes - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- SMOKERS' CORNER: THE POLITICS OF TRANSGRESSION - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- This Week in Lincolnville: Do the People Belong to the Land - PenBayPilot.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Meghan Markle and Harry blow as Americans back Kate and Prince William over Sussexes - Express - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Which side are you on, anyway? Rethinking academic freedom - University World News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Politically Incorrect Canadian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Our Unmad lives - The Business Standard - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Biden threatens 'consequences' against Saudi Arabia over OPEC oil production cuts, links with Russia - Must Read Alaska - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- 'Backsides' voted but fireworks are likely with one Hamilton councillor - Richard Swainson - Stuff - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Does it actually have an influence?: Expert weighs in PM Trudeaus viral bungee jump video - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Jordan Hogg: In 15 years, Ive never come across another disabled director - The Guardian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The phenomenon of 'Hawa' vs 'Poran' - Dhaka Tribune - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- SMOKERS' CORNER: THE RESURGENCE OF THE FAR-RIGHT - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Paddy Considine's filmography: What were the House of the Dragon actor's best works? - Bolavip - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Word on the street: 'Never heard of him' - Aucklanders react to Brown mayoral win - Stuff - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- QC The Producers revels in being politically incorrect - WHBF - OurQuadCities.com - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Interdependence as a weapon in the era of non-peace: Failure in Ukraine and danger in Taiwan - Atalayar - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 'Ramy' Season 3 Review: Ramy Youssef's Comical, Rich Look At Muslim Family Life Is The Best One Yet - The Playlist - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]