Transcript

1: It's the funniest show on TV right now. You have to check it out!
RH: Ok, I will!

TV: gay joke tranny joke fat joke gender sterotypes cis white het norm

1: You didn't like it?
RH: Honestly, I found the humour a little offensive.
1: Man, can't you even enjoy a harmless TV show without picking it to pieces?
They're just jokes!
RH: I guess it's easier to feel that way
when you're not the punchline.

Punchline

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Robot Hugs
New Comic! I was checking out a new show on a friend's recommendation. The first episode revolved around a crossdressing man/trans woman (unclear/conflated in the show) with all the wonderful humour that comes with normative perspectives on gender expression. The second episode centred on a dating service and was no better. I stopped watching there. It's cool if you enjoy shows. We all need something to decompress, and pretty much every piece of media we have to consume is problematic in some way. I get it. There's just something insidious and sad about humour and jokes that amplify problematic attitudes and reenforce norms. The Fool mocks the king and the court, not the peasants. All is not lost, though. I've enjoyed Brooklyn-99 thoroughly. It is not without it's faults (there's a fat-shame-y episode that isn't great...), but a bunch of it's humour is around dismantling stereotypes and exploring unique characters and relationships.