The land of stand-up comedy is experiencing a resurgence lately. It never really went away, but it was hijacked by unfunny, “woke” comics until real comedians began employing a newer tactic — making fun of outrage culture. And, there’s a lot to make fun of!
To promote his new Netflix stand-up comedy special “Paper Tiger,” highly respected stand-up comedian Bill Burr joined host Joe Rogan on Monday to talk about different subjects on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
One topic that came up is outrage culture, and if any comic knows about anger it’s Burr, except Burr’s anger is actually funny.
Rogan and Burr spoke about the environment of a comedy club, and the ridiculous expectation by some that attend that comics shouldn’t say offensive things.
“You’re a guest,” Burr said. “You came into a night club. If you don’t like it [offensive jokes], you leave.”
“They came to see you, specifically, and all the other people did too,” Rogan responded. “And the one or two people that’ll get upset, well, you’re the problem. The other people are there to see this kind of s**t, cause it’s so rare to see.”
“It’s incredibly selfish,” Burr continued. “It’d be like if I went to a restaurant and I didn’t like the meal, and then the chef owed me an apology and had to change his menu. ‘And if you go in there and eat off that menu, then you’re the problem, and I’m going to try to take you down too.’”
There really isn't a more accurate description of outrage culture out there. Fellow comedian Dave Chappelle said something similar when giving his “impression” of cancel culture in his new special, “Sticks & Stones,” a couple of weeks ago.
Here’s what Chappelle said, impersonating SJWs:
Duh, hey. Der, if you do anything wrong in your life, duh, and I find out about it, I’m going to try and take everything away from you. And I don’t care when I find out. It could be today, tomorrow, 15-20 years from now. If I find out, you’re f***ing, duh, finished.
Burr and Chappelle are part of the old school brand of comedy that respected offensive comedians, who were also damn funny, like George Carlin and Richard Pryor. They were dirty just to be dirty. Their brand of “dirty” comedy had a purpose, and comedians like Burr and Chappelle have picked up that mantle.
Much like those comedians of the past, funny is funny and doesn’t care one bit about how offended you are — and rightfully so! Not everything offensive is funny. Some comedians just do it better than others.
If you’d like to watch the full clip from Rogan’s interview with Burr, watch below (WARNING: Strong Language):