Truth So Funny, It Hurts To Laugh

It seems to me that comedians who focus on politics have taken the anti-New York Times approach. They poke fun at the news that's NOT fit to print. And my guess is, some comments are not fit to print because they can be considered hurtful or maybe even inappropriate.

But, for the most part, I have also noticed how some comedians are careful to draw the line and not go too far with potentially offensive comments. They stick to comedy that they feel safe making fun of. This can be seen in a few examples. Black comedians are able to push the envelope further when discussing race and politics, when it concerns Sen. Obama. Comedian Chris Rock's appearance on Bill Maher is a prime example of this. Maher appears to set the stage by making racial jokes and then quickly throws in a "just kidding," at the end (probably because he wants to be funny for the moment and doesn't want to leave a lasting negative impression). Maher sets Chris Rock up for some racially driven comedy. After all, no one will call Chris Rock a racist if the throws jabs at Sen. Obama regarding his race.


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Chris Rock delivers funny lines. He jokes that his father always told him, "you can't beat white people. You can only knock them out." Chris Rock is also careful not to deliver any punch lines that could be overly offensive to whites. The toughest thing he says about Palin is, "Vanessa Williams has done more interviews promoting Ugly Betty than she's done to run for Vice President of the United States."

Sara Silverman takes an interesting approach to comedy, politics, and culture. She is a sarcastic comedian with what some might call a potty-mouth. However, she uses her Jewish heritage down get down and dirty with comedy, all while promoting her presidential pick.



"If Barack Obama doesn't become the next President of the United States, I'm gonna blame the Jews," says Silverman. Now, I ask you who else could get away with saying that? A bible toting Christian could not and neither could a follower of the Koran without being considered antisemitic.

One thing has also become clear to me - candidates cannot make jokes about their opponents on areas not related to policy. Sara Palin certainly felt the heat when she attempted a joke about the old age of Joe Biden. And Joy Behar, a non-Palin supporter and comedian jumped all over this comment because she did not find it funny.




Those who resemble the candidates in some form or fashion have the easiest time coming down hard on them. It's as if they are saying, hey McCain, hey Obama, I am like you. It’s okay, by making fun of you, I am making fun of myself too!