“Can We Take a Joke?” Why people have a right to tell jokes AND a right to be offended

Have you noticed that the culture has gotten less humorous lately?  

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reports:

Earlier this year, comedian Chris Rock went on record saying he doesn’t play colleges anymore. It’s “not in [students’] political views,” Rock said, “but in their social views and their willingness not to offend anybody. … You can’t even be offensive on your way to being inoffensive.”

It’s not just college campuses, and it’s not just Chris Rock, however. Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, and others have also noted the conflict between comedy, hypersensitivity, and political correctness on and off campus.

Bill Maher recently said, “Americans have got to learn how to take a joke.”

FIRE is supporting a new documentary called Can We Take a Joke? to celebrate “Freedom Day” on April 13, 2016.

According to Instapundit:

Can We Take a Joke? is a documentary about what happens when outrage culture and comedy collide, and features interviews with famous comedians, including Adam Carolla, Gilbert Gottfried, Lisa Lampanelli, Heather McDonald, Penn Jillette, and more.

Here’s Penn speaking about his right to tell a joke and your right to be offended:

That used to be common sense, until the ham-fisted agents of political correctness started policing our language to the point that everyone is scared to say anything interesting anymore.