So a environmentalist walks into a bar…

This week’s rose café was one of the more enjoyable lectures of this series. Of course, it always helps to show some clips from The Onion to add some comedic relief. The part of the lecture that was most interesting to me was how risky comedy has become. Sachs discussed how current day comedians have to walk a fine line between making a joke and offending people. This past summer I watched Colin Quinn perform a stand-up routine called The New York Story where he recalled his upbringing in Brooklyn, NY and how New York has changed. Quinn talked about how different ethnicities were known for their different unique personalities when he was growing up, but now just by acknowledging a difference raises a red flag. I thought the show was funny, as being from Long Island and attending school last year in the city, I had the opportunity of experiencing some of the things he commented on. As for Sachs, comedy regarding environmentalists is tough because if you make a joke about them, they’ll probably say that “the earth is dying is that a joke to you” or something along those lines. It will be interesting to see if any comedians try to work environmental issues into their performances or if it will remain untouched.

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