In 2018, we know that comedy has gotten into some muddy waters. It has gotten very narrow what we can joke about anymore because of how politically correct and easily offended audiences have become.
Recently on Conan, Bill Burr made an appearance to poke at this idea and tells about the time he got in trouble for making fun of the military.
Burr starts out saying he even tested his new military bit at a VFW who he said all thought it was hilarious.
So, with veteran approval, Burr continued to tell the joke and most people thought it was funny except for one overweight man who came up to the front and screamed at him to show respect. This then turned into Burr telling him to show respect to his organs and people on airplanes by losing weight.
“Everyone’s a hero now,” said Burr when joking about how overweight people are suddenly heroes. This lead to him finally revealing the military joke that sparked the discussion which was that the Navy man who flies the jets, shoots missiles, and gets shot at is a hero, but the guy on the tarmac pointing which direction it should go isn’t.
Of course this doesn’t mean Burr doesn’t have respect for the military, it just means he’s big enough to poke fun at real life and the deep dark thoughts people have and we should be mature enough to recognize it’s a joke.
Maybe we’re a bit biased but we have hope for the future of comedy.
