Slate has an interview with comedian Louis C.K., who took to Twitter recently to defend fellow comedian Tracy Morgan’s recent homophobic remarks. After much reflection, I have to side with C.K. on this one, based on the very limited information I have. C.K. himself routinely makes outrageous statements that provoke laughter from his audience (and me), so it did not surprise me to see him taking a stand for free speech on the comic stage.
The overarching question in this whole ordeal is: is there anything that is in such poor taste it should never be made a topic of comedy? C.K. thinks the answer is no, and I’m inclined to agree.
[Update: Ta-Nahesi Coates chimes in with a measured, even-handed take on C.K.’s defense. Coates does not agree with C.K. And he’s really convincing! (If you can’t tell, this is a topic I’m pretty torn about)]