CH Live: NYC - Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham. Not politically correct, but very funny.

People can be categorized into an infinite array of opposing orientations. Whether it be the eternal juxtaposition of black and white, cat or dog, or paper and plastic, there exists an untold variety of divisions one can draw from the collective well of human tendency. Differences are plentiful. Adversity, conflict, tragedy, and irony run amok in today's world, providing plenty of material for the light of heart, such as myself, to observe, comment, or perhaps even jest about, or conversely, the subject of many a rumination and consideration by the serious and sombre. My friend Luke and I happen to fall on two different sides of a spectrum concerning the conceptual validity of the "politically correct", and the vast disparity is reflected in both our words and behaviors, in my case the former, in his the latter.

Luke claims that it is never okay to make a racist joke. Or a sexist joke. Or a joke about domestic violence, or the mentally retar...er...um handicapped. He is a firm believer in the politically correct.

The complex issue at hand is one that enfolds propriety, blasphemy, social justice, bigotry, freedom and restraint under one inherently paradoxical issue of political correctness. By utilizing devices like euphemism and stigmatization, society seeks to eliminate the historical injustices it has committed, erase the present inequities that still exist, and smother the ugliness inherent to the world. While we all desire a society free from racism, violence, oppression, disease, and sadness, the Luke's and the Alexander's of the world approach and respond to these circumstances very differently.

Alex would be the first to crack a joke at the expense of any of the aforementioned. He wouldn't think twice about mocking people or ideas sanctified by society's good intentions, for what better way to overcome obstacles and dispel adversity than to laugh? By affording blacks or gays or women or any marginalized component of the population sociolinguistic protection against those who wish to speak or jest in more than the least colorful of terms only widens the rift between those who marginalize and their victims: it formally and institutionally recognizes discrepancies...or if one were to venture further...inequalities between people and more importantly, compounds and magnifies the sentiment that they must somehow merit being treated differently. Alex would ask the world to lighten up, laugh, and prepare to give and receive offense that hopefully someday would cease to offend due to a foundational lack of society's emphasis on perceived inequality of its peoples.

Luke would be mortified if he ever happened to offend anyone for almost any reason. He lives by a strong moral code, one that prohibits his words from causing hurt, or entertaining at the expense of others. By refraining from uttering a single questionable word, Luke obeys the laws of political correctness and embraces the ideals upon which it was created. He argues there is a time and place for everything, and cites certain realms as off limits regardless of the situation. Luke's position as an advocate for political correctness and its need in today's society is governed by the discipline of his own heart as well as the teachings society has impressed upon him. Differences are to be treated with respect, revered even, and are not cannon fodder for tasteless jokes or cheap entertainment. He does not mar his tongue with racy jest or partake in laughter spawned from the telling of such. His belief lies in the hope that one day political correctness would be the utter image of modern speech, and language of that day would lack any need for correction at all.

Both Luke and Alex have their hearts in the right place. They both harbor good intentions, yet depart greatly from one another in coming to terms with the sour aspects of life. To understand the terms presented by each, one must delve into the thoughts and understandings of two very, very, very different people. Luke, who hopes to be a pastor someday, was born and raised in a white Christian household that instilled traditional values into an upstanding young gentleman. He recognizes the tremendous power that words carry, and appreciates rhetoric as an immense tool, a vessel with extraordinary potential to degrade or inspire. Differences shouldn't be exploited or taken lightly, rather, they should be shown the respect they are due. To be politically correct is to use said tool responsibly. Such is the way of the serious heart. Alex (who approaches from a minority background) perhaps advocates the absolute dismissal of political correctness to level the playing field for all varieties of people and truly disregard the differences between them: everyone has the right to make fun of and be made fun of equally. Be poking uninhibited fun at differences, society renders its stifling and impossible power asunder, and manages to generate a few laughs and some damned funny jokes along the way. These are the musings of the lighthearted. Despite their vastly different understanding of what makes an appropriate joke or statement, the two still manage to get along, most of the time.