Key Points
- Many comedians thrive on pushing the boundaries with their jokes.
- Is ‘cancel culture’ stopping some comedians from ‘letting loose’?
Perth comedian Corey White was selling out shows and receiving five star reviews at last year’s Perth Fringe Festival. That was until the end of a show, when he made an improvised rape joke in response to a heckler.
The backlash was immediate and impacted almost every aspect of his life.
“I’ve had shows cancelled, contracts repudiated and been burned at the stake of social media, by people who didn't hear what had happened.”
Corey, a criminal defence lawyer, said his ‘cancellation’ even extended into his professional practice and caused some of his friends to stop taking his calls.
Comedian Corey White.
“I won't apologise for it, “ Corey said.
“I put it into the court of public opinion and I was acquitted unanimously. People are offended by things they don't understand.
“They're in love with their own morality and they're seeking to force it down the throats of others at the expense of audiences.
“If there is there's a prohibition on rape jokes, how are we supposed to make fun of the Liberal Party? If you don't like the nudity, don't go into the strip club.”
So, what is cancel culture? Put simply it’s the idea of holding public and powerful figures accountable and taking support away from them because of something they’ve said or done that’s considered offensive or unacceptable.
The social media phenomenon takes user outrage and can transform that into large-scale rejection. Some people see it as a positive and useful tool for social justice that amplifies marginalised voices. Others warn it creates an echo chamber of outrage that oversimplifies complex issues and shuts down free speech.
Last year comedian Lewis Spears told a joke about Prince Philip during one of his stand-up gigs . An audience member yelled out that Prince Philip had just died and Lewis joked: “can I just say, a bit overdue.”
“On the night, as you can see, it f***ing demolished, “ Lewis said
“Like it was one of the best sets I've ever done in my life
“I had something that I feel really privileged that I managed to catch on film.
“It was, I think, it was a real special moment in my career and something that could never be replicated, because those were pre-written jokes that I was doing about Prince Philip at the comedy festival for 10 nights in a row.”
Lewis decided to use ‘cancel culture’ to his benefit so he sent a clip of his set to all the conservative media he could think of in Australia and the UK knowing he could ride the wave of outrage for his own benefit.
...I've never before seen so many death threats from so many people so close to death themselves.
“It went completely viral, “ Lewis said.
“I sent it in because I knew that this would be a headline that they would want to push for people to be outraged by because I'm very smart.
“So the young people in Australia loved it. Old people in Australia loved it. Young people in England loved it. Old people in England hated it. I've never before seen so many death threats from so many people so close to death themselves.
“There was a really, really loud minority that were incensed and very angry and upset. And all of that voice was fuelled by the media by presenting that bit with headlines like ‘Disgusting and vile stand-up comedian mocks Prince Philip moments after death’."
Lewis said the notoriety of getting ‘cancelled’ helped him sell out his run of shows at the comedy festival so the outrage of the conservative media played in his favour. He believes all great comedians push boundaries and hopes that ‘cancel culture’ won’t lead to a world where comedians are too afraid to make edgy jokes.
“If performers are scared to take risks, it makes the world boring, which makes art less good,” he said.
Corey White believes we’re already living in that world where people are too scared to say what they think.
“I think it's vitally important that comedians speak their mind because in comedy, there is truth, “ he said/
“And in truth, there is comedy. It illuminates, it enlightens, and it helps foster a conversation. So I think self-censorship is something to be aware of and I know that it's happened to myself and other comedians who are afraid to do certain material for fear of the backlash.”
“And we've got to move past this model where a joke that goes wrong is a hanging offence.”
