To Speak or Not to Speak; Comedian Dilemma

I am often at clubs, colleges, coffee shops and many other venues outfitted with a mic and a stool frequented by tons of comedians and wanna-be comics who at any given moment will jump on stage and spew from their mouths what ever leaps from their head to their tongue quickest, often without giving it a fraction of thought. Thoughtless verbiage passed off as comedy should not be defended.

People are quick to use the 1st Amendment to defend what should have been a 5th Amendment situation. The 1st Amendment gives you freedom of speech while the 5th Amendment gives you the opportunity to shut the hell up!

A little judgment exercised goes a long way.

I was just talking about this on my radio show today. Freedom of speech is a tough topic for comedians because we are supposed to be the last bastion of truth. We are supposed to say what you think and feel without repercussions. The fine line is crossed when we say what WE think and feel and that ‘aint what everybody else is feeling. 

It’s a good thing when society speaks up and says, “Hey man, that wasn’t funny, it was crude and demeaning.” What would the world be without checks and balances? 

How did we feel when Michael Richards went on his “N” word rant at the Laugh Factory? We weren’t laughing. Because it wasn’t funny, and the world let him know it.

As I write this, it’s almost 3am and my eyelids are heavy, so I hope I made sense here. If not, I’m sure the world will let me know. Call in to my radio show anytime and let me know; STEVIE MACK RADIO airs Monday - Thursday at 6pm (PST) ...call in and let’s swap knowledge.