pure creativity takes many forms. not all of those are things prospective employers — or even current ones feel comfortable with.
we live in a time where everything is being analyzed and over analyzed to root out the racial insensitive garbage that should have been gone a long time ago.
but it’s also scooping out a lot of harmless humor that was never intended to be hurtful and now over time, under today’s context, it’s embarrassing.
for example comedians who sported blackface as satire are being criticized while actual racist political policies are somehow shielded. jimmy kimmel is getting heat for a comedy bit where he is pretending to be karl malone, but in kentucky last week they made 600k black people vote in One location (instead of hundreds) and everything is nbd.
sorry but voter suppression is a bd. a vbd.
jimble kimble in blackface *today* is cringeworthy, but as logic will tell us: consider the source.
which brings us to Eric Andre. who is hilarious. because he is outrageous. and his new special is fantastic but i think about his future. if he ever wanted to get a “real job” one day, and the HR manager saw this netflix show, it’d be over for him. he talks about smoking weed with his mom, how LSD is his favorite drug, and about the time he ate 4x as much molly as he should have.
it’s funny and regardless if it is true or not, it makes people laugh: which is the point of comedy.
comedy should also make us think and andre points out that this country was founded by Puritans and we are still pretty much stuck in that mindset. we get super freaked out with nudity, “foul” language gets bleeped on cable tv and radio, and yesterday we celebrated the 5th anniversary of same sex marriage. How is it that this country is almost 250 years old and gays and lesbians haven’t been viewed as equals for 245 of them? because shit’s fucked up.
and who better to shine the light on that disparity than the court jesters?
and the writers. and the artists. and the modern day opinion columnists, and the tiktokers and the athletes and the every day moms and dads who didnt grow up in a bubble, many of whom were educated in good schools
and know how to get on the mic and speak truth to power?
but we stifle critical thought unless it’s done in such a narrow, culturally appropriate NPR way.
which in of itself is fucked.
people should be allowed to speak their mind in the way that is effective regardless of style.
michaelangelo wanted to sculpt a giant nude teenage boy and back in the renaissance days italy was all, fuck yeah mike. then the pope was like, paint a shitload of naked bible people on the ceiling while youre at it.
how is it that we have not progressed in the land of the free and home of the brave? why is it that we dumb our shit down to appease the least evolved, least secure, most cowardly and insincere?
we know gay people getting married has zero to do with the sanctity of marriage. we know that diverse workplaces can do nothing but better our societies. we know that executive levels of one race and one sex is not just a bad look but less-than-ideal decisions will be made there.
but we keep on keeping on.
we punish the women who fight to be equal. we squelch creativity and humor and those who dare to push the envelope.
and yet we allow one bad policy after another to continue to live another day.
canada has it right about healthcare.
japan has it right about policing.
europe has it right about vacations for the workers.
and as problematic as the framers were in so many regards, like owning human beings, they were right about so many things that we shouldn’t immediately toss out what good things they brought to the table because of their shortsidednesses if thats even a word.
do i have the answer for everything? yes. jk. but together we do. if we really abide by the tenants of loving our neighbors and seeing the best in each other we can easily see what is good and bad and support the good. it’s not that hard.
comedy is not pretty but it’s vital. nazis are not vital. racism is not vital. love and creativity is essential.
and as we slouch forward to bethlehem, struggling to make cool shit despite the petty pace of the day to day, i invite each of you who reads this to ask
do i judge someones art based on puritan ideals of long ago, of frightened people who made no cool art, or am i here to encourage the magic of innovation and the glory of being the reflection of God.
warts and all.
it’s taking me forever to write things during this pandemic.
today we didnt leave the house.
pure creativity takes many forms. not all of those are things prospective employers — or even current ones feel comfortable with.
michaelangelo wanted to sculpt a giant nude teenage boy and back in the renaissance days italy was all, fuck yeah mike. then the pope was like, paint a shitload of naked bible people on the ceiling while youre at it.