Comedians have been encountering political correctness for at least 25 years. It may feel to off-campus-outsiders that on-campus-audiences are hostile toward non-PC comedy. But are they?
Most college audiences contain large blocks of the following:
1.
kids raised on def comedy, and
2. committed activists
As a result, we think students today are more judgmental, but also more playful.
Many are so post-modern that they play the racist/sexist cards, ironically-not ‘for realz’.
Often they see such concerns as “so 2014” even while the most strident among them, don’t.
Audiences are not all the same. Nor are comedians.
Touring comedians have to prove themselves every show. Famous comedians are no longer accustomed to that challenge.
So audience pushback lands like, on the famous ones, like a thud.
Comedians must remember that reflexive judgment from 19 year olds is a daily trial for professors. So traveling artists should mock it, as they mock all “posturing”, rather than choose to be offended by it.
In other words: Comedians need to relax too!
Comedians need to see student’s needs as similar to those of any private community; letting the performer know, at the time of booking, what language and content concerns need be addressed.
This MUST be ironed out before the contract is sent off.
College students may sound a shrill siren, but they often look to fully functioning adults (like entertainers and campus administrators) to issue proportional responses to disproportional reactions.
One last warning: Restricting comedy begs for the kind of safe comedy show that is tired & unimaginative.
Most ‘edgeless’ comics live “in the corn field”.
So be careful what you wish for.
