The world feels as polarized as it’s ever been. Maybe it’s always been this way. Maybe it feels especially polarized because of how everyone out there (including me) is suddenly given a megaphone where they can express their own ideas. They don’t have to be right, they don’t have to be logical, but chances are they’ll resonate with someone out there.

In one particular regard, you have one group of people who grew up with a specific sense of humor and are now in a world that no longer accepts it. I’m talking jokes that poke fun at gays, minorities, and the like. And then you have the overall progression of the world (or the U.S., in this case), which has grown to be more accepting of these underrepresented groups. Suddenly, those gay jokes become a lot less funny.

It’s this trend that apparently led to the birth of the Joker movie. I’m not kidding. If you’ll recall, director Todd Phillips was largely known for comedic films like Old School and The Hangover before Joker, and as it turns out, he became so disenfranchised with “woke culture” that he figured there was no point.

RELATED – Joker Expected To Hit $155M Worldwide In Opening Weekend

“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture,” Phillips said to Vanity Fair. “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the f**king funny guys are like, ‘F**k this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’ It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right? So you just go, ‘I’m out.’ I’m out, and you know what? With all my comedies—I think that what comedies in general all have in common—is they’re irreverent. So I go, ‘How do I do something irreverent, but f**k comedy? Oh I know, let’s take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.’ And so that’s really where that came from.”

On one hand, I can see his point. I think people are often way too sensitive these days about every little thing out there, and that it stunts creativity. That being said, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that we’ve created a less hostile world for people who are different than most. And in this era, there have been plenty of fantastic comedies that have been able to thrive — The Good Place or Parks and Recreation, for example.

Of course, there are different types of comedy, and unfortunately, those who try to push the envelope generally aren’t accepted nowadays. It’s a double-edged sword, and anyone out there who says the solution is easy, one way or another, is fooling themselves.

But I think the real question here is…is this Phillips trying to make excuses for The Hangover Part III?

Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.

—–

Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcast feed yet The LRM Online Podcast Network, which includes our flagship podcast Los Fanboys, our premiere podcast Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, and our morning show LRMornings? Check it out by listening below. It’s also available on all your favorite podcast apps!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts |  Spotify  |  SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play

SOURCE: Vanity Fair