Hyundai-Sponsored Comedy Central Site Removes Insensitive Homeless Joke

OK, I'm impressed. The insensitive joke about homelessness that I wrote about the other day has been removed from the Hyundai-sponsored Comedy Central Comedian Constructor site. You can see and rate what virtual comedians are coming up with here.

"C'mon you guys! You gotta get that joke off the site right now!!! Homeless bashing just isn't funny," is what I wrote on Wednesday. Coincidence? that it's gone? Maybe, but I think not. Comedian Constructor is a great idea, and extremely well-executed. It can certainly succeed without a homelessness slur. And it surely doesn't need a blog storm.

Someone on the project is monitoring blog posts and comments, a definite good sign. My guess is that the one paying attention to the conversation was Oddcast, who designed the avatars and who sent me a pitch on the site the other day. A spirited debate is ongoing in comments at MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog, where I cross-posted.

My belief is that it's time to move past denigrating others for fun and profit. Sure, comedy is always going to offend someone. But it doesn't have to be ugly to be funny.

There is no need to belittle the disadvantaged, minorities, or religions to make a point or a buck.

Yes, people will keep doing it, and people will keep responding to it. But as awareness is raised, and times change, communicators, and comedians, will change their tunes.

People used to go watch gladiators kill slaves, but we don't do that these days. There was a time when people of color could only be portrayed in movies as servants of one type of another. We're making progress against racial stereotyping.

Lenny Bruce was hilarious, and so were lots of other comedians - in their day. Many comedians who hold up over time: Penn & Teller, Monty Python, for example, don't use race or religion as their punchlines.

Time to move forward.

Should change, language and subjects be legislated? HELL NO!

Just as blogs don't need a twinkie badge to say we're ethical, the last thing we need is legislators telling us what to say.

The market will drive changes. It will take time, but it will happen. It IS happening.

Comments

Posted by: Bob Glaza at April 13, 2007 2:41 PM

Posted by: Lance Brown at April 13, 2007 4:59 PM

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