Ricky Gervais

[groovethang]

May 25, 2022 11:45:45 GMT -4 royalwave said:

I watched it to see what the fuss was about. Didn't find it very funny myself. A lot of the premise was about how reactions to comedy have changed/cancel culture and all the things you can't say any longer, and some of the trans women jokes were sort of examples of that.

Anyway, there are certain categories of jokes that seem like they are being done to death and I don't tend to find amusing anymore. Pandemic jokes fall into this category, crude sexual humor/commentary on vaginas (I thought Ali Wong's latest special was terrible, and usually I think she's hilarious), and gay and trans jokes. I'm personally ready for comics to move on from these topics.

Completely agree with you on the latest Ali Wong special. Really enjoyed her first two but barely laughed at this one. Also, after watching it, her separation announcement wasn’t surprising.

[cremetangerine82]

May 25, 2022 8:24:54 GMT -4 tiggertoo said:

How could you love The Office if you didn’t like Gervais? Main character, writer/creator. Anyway, it’s your opinion, so perfectly valid, of course!

I love Ricky Gervais. After Life is his best work yet. I had tickets to see him in Toronto, but the show was cancelled due to Covid travel restrictions. I will definitely watch the new show. And then see how I feel about his jokes.

David Brent, Gervais‘s character on the office, wasn’t a protagonist nor a likable antagonist. Main character doesn’t mean I liked the character or Gervais. I’m deeply disappointed on the trans “jokes” at this point, it’s just beneath his intellectual standard, but this isn’t his first accusation.

May 25, 2022 11:30:09 GMT -4 Lwaxana said:

These aren't jokes about transwomen they're just jokes about women. For literally all of history men have made jokes about our vaginas, our smells, our looks, our roles, you name it. I know it's a shocker, but once you identify as a woman having a penis no longer protects you from being treated like a second class citizen. So let's just call this what it is, misogyny pure and simple.

Can’t it be transmisogyny? Yes, both cis and trans women get jokes made about their appearances in the male-dominated sphere of stand up comedy. However, so many of the “jokes” on trans women deeply focused on what’s below their belt. Cis women who have had hysterectomies wouldn’t count as women according to Gervais.

[Lwaxana]

May 25, 2022 12:29:20 GMT -4 cremetangerine82 said:

May 25, 2022 8:24:54 GMT -4 tiggertoo said:

How could you love The Office if you didn’t like Gervais? Main character, writer/creator. Anyway, it’s your opinion, so perfectly valid, of course!

I love Ricky Gervais. After Life is his best work yet. I had tickets to see him in Toronto, but the show was cancelled due to Covid travel restrictions. I will definitely watch the new show. And then see how I feel about his jokes.

David Brent, Gervais‘s character on the office, wasn’t a protagonist nor a likable antagonist. Main character doesn’t mean I liked the character or Gervais. I’m deeply disappointed on the trans “jokes” at this point, it’s just beneath his intellectual standard, but this isn’t his first accusation.

May 25, 2022 11:30:09 GMT -4 Lwaxana said:

These aren't jokes about transwomen they're just jokes about women. For literally all of history men have made jokes about our vaginas, our smells, our looks, our roles, you name it. I know it's a shocker, but once you identify as a woman having a penis no longer protects you from being treated like a second class citizen. So let's just call this what it is, misogyny pure and simple.

Can’t it be transmisogyny? Yes, both cis and trans women get jokes made about their appearances in the male-dominated sphere of stand up comedy. However, so many of the “jokes” on trans women deeply focused on what’s below the belt. Cis women who have had hysterectomies wouldn’t count as women according to Gervais’.

Like how Audrina Partridge was known as the girl with beef curtains?

Or how the newspapers spent the 00s discussing Britney's virginity?

Or the overwhelming comments women hear about being too loose, smelling like tuna, queefing?

Or how even our government is regulating what happens with our womb?

Or how small breasted women or women who grow facial hair or women without curves have been told they're not real women?

The identities of women have always been mocked, devalued, and governed according to what's below their belt. If this was transmisogyny there'd be just as many jokes made about transmen. Notice there isn't.

[hellsbells]

May 25, 2022 8:24:54 GMT -4 tiggertoo said:

How could you love The Office if you didn’t like Gervais? Main character, writer/creator. Anyway, it’s your opinion, so perfectly valid, of course!

I love Ricky Gervais. After Life is his best work yet. I had tickets to see him in Toronto, but the show was cancelled due to Covid travel restrictions. I will definitely watch the new show. And then see how I feel about his jokes.

Ricky's scripted shows are far superior to his stand up. I've seen him twice in NYC (years ago. Wouldn't bother now). His jokes about trans women are punching down, are not in the least bit transgressive, nor are they funny. (I've seen clips on line for context.)

He has his moments, but his stand up usually doesn't deliver...

[cremetangerine82]

May 25, 2022 13:00:33 GMT -4 Lwaxana said:

May 25, 2022 12:29:20 GMT -4 cremetangerine82 said:

David Brent, Gervais‘s character on the office, wasn’t a protagonist nor a likable antagonist. Main character doesn’t mean I liked the character or Gervais. I’m deeply disappointed on the trans “jokes” at this point, it’s just beneath his intellectual standard, but this isn’t his first accusation.

Can’t it be transmisogyny? Yes, both cis and trans women get jokes made about their appearances in the male-dominated sphere of stand up comedy. However, so many of the “jokes” on trans women deeply focused on what’s below the belt. Cis women who have had hysterectomies wouldn’t count as women according to Gervais’.

Like how Audrina Partridge was known as the girl with beef curtains?

Or how the newspapers spent the 00s discussing Britney's virginity?

Or the overwhelming comments women hear about being too loose, smelling like tuna, queefing?

Or how even our government is regulating what happens with our womb?

Or how small breasted women or women who grow facial hair or women without curves have been told they're not real women?

The identities of women have always been mocked, devalued, and governed according to what's below their belt. If this was transmisogyny there'd be just as many jokes made about transmen. Notice there isn't.

There’s a reason why I used the term transmisogyny because it’s the intersection of misogyny and transphobia. All of your examples are related to trans women as well: the mocking of their genitals (like Gervais allegedly did), the government regulating what happens to your body, get called not real women (like Gervais allegedly did), etc.

Most of the ire has been directed towards trans women and not trans men; transmisandry is much, much less common.

[Ginger]

Jun 9, 2007 10:03:44 GMT -4 hellsbells said:

He has his moments, but his stand up usually doesn't deliver...

I agree. I really enjoyed After Life and watched his standup specials afterward, and they were weak. Not terrible, just sloppy. He doesn't take the time to craft jokes that hit a target with precision.

In his latest special, trans women wind up being the target/punchline of jokes, even though his issues actually seem to be with activists and the media. And he tried to set the whole thing up with a really lazily established premise at the beginning that he's going to say shocking things and it's all irony. Very 1990s of him.

Oct 24, 2019 13:25:06 GMT -4 royalwave said:

Anyway, there are certain categories of jokes that seem like they are being done to death and I don't tend to find amusing anymore. Pandemic jokes fall into this category, crude sexual humor/commentary on vaginas (I thought Ali Wong's latest special was terrible, and usually I think she's hilarious), and gay and trans jokes. I'm personally ready for comics to move on from these topics.

Amen to all of this!

I thought Ali Wong's first special was ok - good enough for me to watch her second one. But then in her second one, she upped the volume so everything was delivered in a yell. And the yelling was all graphic sexual stuff that seemed to be almost entirely about shock value. Her third one - right out of the gate with the yelling about blow jobs. I might give it another chance, but it's not looking promising.

[ahah]

May 25, 2022 11:30:09 GMT -4 Lwaxana said:

These aren't jokes about transwomen they're just jokes about women. For literally all of history men have made jokes about our vaginas, our smells, our looks, our roles, you name it. I know it's a shocker, but once you identify as a woman having a penis no longer protects you from being treated like a second class citizen. So let's just call this what it is, misogyny pure and simple.

So when Amy Schumer and Nikki Glaser go on stage and make a variety of jokes about men's penises and various stupid things men do, what is that called?

[prisma]

Since men sit at the top of the power structure, it's not quite the same thing. Similar to the way that their is no slur or insult for men that's as disgusting or insulting as the millions of ones that exist for women and minorities, and every other group that sits beneath cis white men on the power scale.

[ahah]

Here's the problem with that - what Louis CK did was not horrible because he's a man and the victims were women. It was horrible because he was a very famous and very powerful comedian and the women who were his victims were in most cases up and comers who didn't feel an equal power structure to say they were uncomfortable.
Likewise, Amy Schumer and Nikki Glaser are very famous and powerful comedians. They are making jokes about men, in many cases real life men, who are not as famous and powerful. So if power structure matters to deem what is acceptable to joke about, we have a problem there too.
This is why I think the rule for comedy should be if people laugh, it's funny. In these specials, audience members laugh. Those who don't find it funny are free to turn it off.

[canuckcutie]

Honestly so many States are currently trying to legislate trans people out of existence that comedians constantly punching down not only feels lazy but also cruel.