deckeda wrote:
That was a contorted piece to read. He wants to second-guess someone while offering an opinion about the person.
How does that work, when he says he doesn't understand what Kimmel meant?
He wants clubs to be safe spaces, but can't figure out of Kimmel thinks they actually are, should or should not be, or whatever.
I wanna see this dude's high school grades on his persuasion papers ... I give this one a D.
What don't you grasp?
In response to asking whether his new Vegas club would vet its performers, Kimmel said, "if we get into the business of sanitizing every comedian and doing a thorough background check before they walk through the door, it’s going to be a very empty stage."
As with many modern apologists for misogyny, Kimmel insists that there is no bias in comedy - it's "very democratic." No extra effort to make space for women or minority performers; if they're funny, they'll naturally "rise to the top." With regard to artists who have done things that require "sanitizing" = the audience decides who is funny and/or forgiven, not he.
When pressed about how he will create a safe space, he interrupts the interviewer to exclaim, "Oh, I don’t know that comedy clubs should be a safe space!" before laughing. Which is a little crazy, when you consider that a club is a workplace.
No one suggested that any comics'
material should need to be reviewed, vetted, revealed, or in any way censored. The question was about how, in a profession where Kimmel himself says that background checks would lead to empty stages, you create a workplace where people feel safe to do their jobs. How do you create a performance venue where audiences can know in advance if an acknowledged sexual predator will be on stage on a given night?
The question isn't about telling people what jokes they can tell. It's about dealing with a reality that puts folks at risk.
