House of Eratosthenes

She is emblematic of the reason I hate humor nowadays; or, to be pinpoint-precise about it, I loathe what we today often call “humor.” So much of it just isn’t funny, and is not intended to be. We have many among us who are losing their sense of what humor really is, and they may never have understood it. But no, that’s not what I mean by “Silverman effect.”

What I mean by that is: The idea that the “humor” is funny if, and only if, it aims this ridicule and hurt in the right direction. This idea of “I just said something insulting about this class of people, or that particular person, now laugh at my ‘joke’; you owe me“…followed by…”So-and-so hurt my feelings when he made fun of me.” Or said something that wasn’t quite politically correct. Or spiked the Could-Be-Construed-As-O-Meter.

Because Sarah Silverman is not all of this. It’s a phenomenon that is much bigger than her. A lot of people will “laugh” at just about any joke made at Sarah Palin’s expense, provided it is at her expense. As long as it ridicules her, or her son Trig, or Catholics, it’s all the very-best-joke-ever. But those very same people will be all set to get properly horrified if the Duck Dynasty guy says the wrong thing. The Victim class rules must be enforced at all times, oops he said such-and-such, time for some mob justice. Keep rocking the boat until the pariah is properly made a pariah. As long as someone’s career comes to an end over this, the outcome is a good one.

The premise is — has to be — that these people over here have feelings, and those people over there do not. That’s the problem with it. Well, aside from the fact that they’re destroying the very concept of “humor.” And when they’re in mob-justice-mode, they don’t seem to be trying to resolve a problem that came about when the target of wrath opened his mouth. They don’t seem to be climbing out of a hole, or doing what’s unhappily become necessary. They seem to be looking forward to such opportunities. Relishing them. Say something disparaging about a victim class, and quick as you can flip a switch, all of a sudden “everybody” has the right not to be offended. And you just violated it, buster.

But it isn’t everybody. Other people not only are missing that right; any & all comments made about them that are somehow negative, are automatically “funny.” As long as they’re the target. That seems to be the thinking.

Ace of Spades goes off on a similar thing with Jon Stewart. I think you’ve pointed it out a few times too — clown nose on / clown nose off. He wants to be hailed as some kind of courageous truth-teller, but doesn’t want to take any heat for misstatements, misunderstandings, or deliberate offense. So he’ll trial-balloon a “joke,” and if it passes muster he’ll claim this is hard-hitting analysis and brave truth-telling — clown nose off. But if it threatens his bottom line, or he’s caught spewing typical factless liberal spin, he retreats to “hey, it’s a joke! I’m just a tv comedian!” — clown nose on.

It’s dangerous. The fastest way to turn someone into a Confederate flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon is to suggest that literally everything they think, do, or say proves that they’re a Confederate flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon. In the bottomless depths of their narcissism, leftists just can’t understand how viscerally a large portion of the electorate detests being told what to think. A person who might eventually have been brought around through gentle persuasion will throw up every possible psychic barrier to mockery.

That’s the real takeaway from the “Duck Dynasty” thing — lots of people now realize that the show was always intended as mockery; A&E expected Phil Robinson to start going off on this crazy Jeezus stuff from the get-go, and we’d all have a good laugh at him. They never consider: how long before someone actually reacts the way A&E expects them to?
- Severian | 01/04/2014 @ 09:16
The fastest way to turn someone into a Confederate flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon is to suggest that literally everything they think, do, or say proves that they’re a Confederate flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon.

Right. The Morgan rule. “If I’m gonna be accused, I wanna be guilty.”
- mkfreeberg | 01/04/2014 @ 09:21
Ditto. LOTS of people starting to feel that way. And, I imagine, there are lots of people noticing that these “jokes” only apply to Christians, because Christians don’t get all explodey when their beliefs are mocked. Well, if “Duck Dynasty” watchers really are the excitable, low-IQ, easily-led sheeple A&E insists they are….

Like most college grads I was a liberal in my youth. I’ve been asked what turned me conservative. I always say: “the fascistic intolerance of the left.”
- Severian | 01/04/2014 @ 09:34
If you’re Sarah Silverman, doing the material you do, you basically completely and irrevocably relinquish the right to be offended when somebody makes cruel jokes about you. Most of all at a roast, where saying cruel things about the honoree and the other guests is a large part of the fun.
- Rich Fader | 01/04/2014 @ 14:35
Severian: Would you like to be a Seeker of Truth and Penitence to the Left? 🙂
- pst314 | 01/04/2014 @ 15:12
pst314,

no, but I do what I can to raise awareness of the Book of the New Sun.
- Severian | 01/04/2014 @ 19:28
“The fastest way to turn someone into a Confederate flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon is to suggest that literally everything they think, do, or say proves that they’re a Confederate flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon.”

I resent that.
I (for one) have been pronounced a GLADSTON flag-waving, AK 47-toting, racist homophobic loon.
Generally by Obama Presidency specific “logo” arm patch wearin’, “special exceptions” claiming, “free” shit demanding, multiple gub’mint tax payer subsidy suckin’, Wikipedia rewriting, attendance award “winning”, hysterocentric chauvinist, serial malapropin’ , basement canopy bed dwelling, self-proclaimed humanities/communications “elites”.

Oops, um… my bad, “… soi-disant humanities/communications elites.”
- CaptDMO | 01/05/2014 @ 08:43
“no, but I do what I can to raise awareness of the Book of the New Sun.”

Did you enjoy the character Loyal to the Group of Seventeen? I witty satire of political correctness.
- pst314 | 01/05/2014 @ 12:18
For a time. Unfortunately, he/they seem to have infested this blog’s comments…..
- Severian | 01/05/2014 @ 12:41
“Unfortunately, he/they seem to have infested this blog’s comments…..”

I have noticed that some people see that story as only a satire of, say, Maoist China, forgetting that there are so many Americans who share Mao’s totalitarian dreams. Note that in the Book of the New Sun, the Ascian invaders come from North America, suggesting that in this far future America is ruled by leftist monsters.

I am not, of course, entitled to put words in Gene Wolfe’s mouth, but judging by everything he has said I think he would agree with what I just wrote.
- pst314 | 01/05/2014 @ 14:27
I heard a preacher once say, “The best preachers today are stand-up comedians.” If you listen for a sermon you will find one in most stand-up comedian’s acts. Many times they beat you over the head with their homely.
- fwh | 01/06/2014 @ 14:58
The Morgan rule. “If I’m gonna be accused, I wanna be guilty.”

Heh. I’ve taken to responding in a decidedly pointed manner whenever some says, with a pained expression, “That offends me.” My response usually involves some graphic description of sex with baby squirrels or other rodents.

Back when I was a sous chef, one of the young waiters used to try and out gross me. Sadly-for him- I do not have that switch in my brains which causes simply talking about something to nauseate me; I forget most other people do, which makes me a dangerous conversationalist during meals. In any event, I always, always won those competitions because there is no depth which I was not willing to plumb. I say this not to brag, but rather to state a fact. If you will take offense at what is and should be a fairly innocuous comment to try and silence me, I will take great satisfaction at the horrified expression that I will put on your face.
- Physics Geek | 01/08/2014 @ 08:56

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The Silverman EffectSaturday, January 4th, 2014

The Silverman Effect
Saturday, January 4th, 2014