We live in a culture that celebrates the concept of celebrity. Statues of Beyoncé and Ryan Gosling may not be erected on pedestals, but reminders of their apparent godliness surround us. Their faces are plastered on posters, their bodies serve as means of advertisement, their words act as inspiration for millions of impressionable young people. These affects are not what we might consider to be traditional forms of worship, but they are forms nonetheless.
Zeus and Hera fight over his multiple affairs and Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift bicker over intersectional feminism. The personal conflicts of celebrities entrance and entertain the masses, and when celebrities air out their political views under the gaze of the public eye, controversy arises.
In the last few years, two noteworthy trends have surfaced in the pool of relevant celebrities: the rise of young-female celebrities pronouncing themselves feminists and the increase in the number of older male celebrities pushing back against “PC culture” (“PC” meaning “politically correct” here). Not that these two are the only trends that stand out (the upsurge in celebrity scientologists would also be worth looking into), but they are worth looking into because of their seeming correlation.
Jerry Seinfeld recently told ESPN radio, “I don’t play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges. They’re so PC.’” He continued on to lament that us college students “just want to use these words: ‘That’s racist;’ ‘That’s sexist;’ ‘That’s prejudice.’ They don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.” Seinfeld’s take on college students is nearly as misinformed as his perspective on the term “politically correct.” (Though one has to wonder what, exactly, Seinfeld imagined he would come under fire for. Perhaps his revolutionary ideas on airline food?)
The voices denouncing “PC culture” are not few and far between. Many performers lament the obstacles they now apparently confront in having to make their material not actively offensive. “Comedian” Nicole Arbour recently encountered criticism for her video, “Dear Fat People,” in which she shames a significant portion of our population. Charming.
The video was removed from YouTube. Arbour’s tweet after this blasphemy reads, “We literally broke the Internet… With comedy. #censorship.”
The problem most performers seem to have with “PC nonsense” (as Mr. Seinfeld so lovingly puts it) is that it limits comedy, acting as a form of #censorship (as Ms. Arbour so lovingly puts it). A more appropriate way to phrase it would be that political correctness limits cheap comedy. It limits comedy that aims at low-hanging fruit. It limits comedy that relies on demeaning people who are already systematically demeaned.
While the number of celebrities who openly identify as feminists and encourage political correctness continues to grow, so does the backlash against this movement. So what specifically is this backlash against?
Essentially, people are mad because they want to be able to say whatever they want to say without attracting criticism. Which is a strange thing to ask for in the wake of their demanding they be able to criticize whomever they please.
Additionally, this “fight” against “PC culture” can’t be said to be for the sake of preserving comedy if said comedy relies on antiquated stereotypes that no longer effectively cause people to laugh. If college students no longer enjoy watching your stand-up, you can’t blame the concept of political correctness for making them immune to a pure comic intellect. You can blame yourself for not being funny, for not successfully appealing to your audience. Many college students have moved past comedy that degrades in order to fetch a smile; maybe you should as well.
So, I’m sorry, NC State. Jerry Seinfeld won’t be hitting us up anytime soon. We care too much about people’s feelings.
