Comedians: A Controversy Argument In Comedy

When writing a joke, a comedian must often consider which subjects can and cannot be joked about. As our contemporary society becomes more politically correct, people have become more defensive about their own beliefs and morals. Most people love comedy laughter. But when the topic of the joke goes against their own convictions, it loses its humor. As sensitivity to certain topics increases, comedians have needed to adjust their delivery of jokes. Comedians can use a variety of delivery tactics to lighten the mood of a heavy topic. In some ways, addressing controversial subjects comically can actually produce more laughs than the light-hearted, fun-loving topics that used to be prominent in comedy. Comedians ask themselves if there is a specific

In some respects, comedians need to assimilate to the audience's attitude towards their material in order to not be overly offensive. To accomplish this comedic conformity, comedians often use deliveries and personal experiences to make a joke non-offensive towards any one person, and often turn the joke against themselves. As more controversial issues appear within society, the public has become more politically correct and critical. Although comedians can use a comedic relief approach to convert controversial topics to acceptable subjects, the argument can be made that certain material is too offensive to joke about. While some jokes are too offensive to tell, one can assert that abhorrent, crude, and socially disputed jokes have more potential to capture the attention of the audience and become critically

Many comedians have discovered that raunchy, controversial, and somewhat offensive topics such as race, religion, and sexuality make the best jokes because they are uncomfortable to discuss in society. They use the forum of the stage to discuss subjects that one would usually be thought of as argument-inducing and contentious. With the right context and delivery, comedians are able to convey a playful perception on topics that would usually be taboo and possibly offensive to the average person. Because of the pre-existing opinions that the audience may possess on the subject, the comedian is compelled to walk the thin line between controversial and offensive. The comedian is not trying to contradict anyone’s opinions in an offensive way, but to allow the audience to experience the topic through the comedian's perspective. After 9/11 many Muslim American comedians, such as Azhar Usman, changed their stand-up routines to not only address contemporary perceptions of Muslim Americans also spread knowledge of the struggles of being Muslim American in a humorous way. “Interestingly, this comedy is meant not only to entertain but also to address certain outsider attitudes held about Muslims and insider attitudes amongst Muslims…. The social messages delivered in jokes that are opportunities for comedians to promote social cohesion