I was at this event. I definitely agree the format doesn’t work well like this. The comedians deflected any real discussion of the issues with a combination of fallacies and outdated racial humor. Fried chicken jokes? Dunking on and sleeping with white guys girlfriends? This type of lazy humor was hardly funny in the 90s, let alone today. I think it’s a crutch by a lot of comedians today because it dares the audience to withhold laughter and go against the comedians underlying message that explicit racism against blacks is prevalent everywhere and basically the same as it was in the 60s. I felt more like an ideological hostage than a willing participant once the comedians hopped on stage.
The cab joke right at the top was funny. Otherwise, Glenn and John were much more entertaining than the professionals, just by being themselves.
I finally caught up on last month's Q&A. I'd be interested in John's suggestion to put the comedians on first and then follow up with the more substantive portion. Bottom line: they need better comedians. Self-deprecation is probably an important ingredient.
I was at this event. I definitely agree the format doesn’t work well like this. The comedians deflected any real discussion of the issues with a combination of fallacies and outdated racial humor. Fried chicken jokes? Dunking on and sleeping with white guys girlfriends? This type of lazy humor was hardly funny in the 90s, let alone today. I think it’s a crutch by a lot of comedians today because it dares the audience to withhold laughter and go against the comedians underlying message that explicit racism against blacks is prevalent everywhere and basically the same as it was in the 60s. I felt more like an ideological hostage than a willing participant once the comedians hopped on stage.
The cab joke right at the top was funny. Otherwise, Glenn and John were much more entertaining than the professionals, just by being themselves.
I finally caught up on last month's Q&A. I'd be interested in John's suggestion to put the comedians on first and then follow up with the more substantive portion. Bottom line: they need better comedians. Self-deprecation is probably an important ingredient.
I like the live format and comedians are fine, but not these. The first group was funnier and more interesting.