Well - I don't think you can simply say that Corden apologized. Corden tweeted one of those pseudo-apologies that most of us probably usually disdain. His actual words: "I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention." In this case though, I think it was pretty much exactly the right thing to write. He prefaced it by writing that he knows sexual assault is nothing to joke about, and that he was trying to shame HW, not his victims. It sucks to have to explain a joke, and in objective terms I think his intent was pretty clear, but in context here I think it is pretty much the decent thing to do.
I don't quite agree with Kevin that "no subject matter is off limits for comedy" - and really, I don't think Kevin literally believes that either. As he noted, he would be violently opposed to making fun of rape victims. But I do think we should draw the boundaries of what can be the target of humor as broadly as possible. I am sucker for almost any variation of the old business of telling a groaner joke about the Lincoln assassination, pausing, and then just asking "Too soon?" I laugh every time, because it reminds us how much timing (in all its forms) is at the heart of comedy. A joke that involves getting hit by a car may be funny almost every time, except if you are telling it to your best friend whose child just died in a car accident. Unless you are a real dick, you would probably try to avoid telling that joke if you could. Corden told his jokes at a public event, but the victims of HW's sexual assault were women in the entertainment industry. Rose McGowen, who has been the most transparent about what was done to her, is obviously very raw and pained and traumatized by it. It is not shocking that, right now, she is very sensitive to anything that sounds like making light of it. I hope that Corden does not apologize for actually telling the jokes (though, as I noted earlier, I do think that given the timing, jokes about the culture excusing this kind of behavior for so long might have been more sensitive than jokes that got too close to being about the abuse itself), but I think it was decent to apologize the the unintentended consequences of his jokes. I think what makes the pseudo-apology here more appropriate than usual is that the inevitable implication that anyone offended is being over sensitive is not condescending and dismissive, but appropriate. On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 2:00 PM Steve Timko <[email protected]> wrote: > Corden has apologized via Twitter. > https://twitter.com/JKCorden/status/919649654081331200 > https://twitter.com/JKCorden/status/919649702131281920 > > On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 12:48 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> I’m having a discussion with a friend over a joke I posted on social >> media two weeks ago. It had nothing to do with this topic, but she was >> telling me that women should never be made fun of. I’ve always been of the >> mindset that no subject matter is off limits for comedy, and most of the >> best comedy has come from inappropriateness. I didn’t think Kathy Griffin's >> decapitated Trump gag was funny and I said so, but I don’t think Trump gets >> a free pass because he is POTUS. I would never joke about rape victims, but >> that doesn’t mean women in general can’t be the topic of humor. >> >> I’m not sure it helps the cause of victims of rape when the focus shifts >> to how comics approach the subject. I am not defending Corden; again, I >> personally don’t find him funny. But the jokes I heard were jokes about >> Weinstein being a douchebag sexual harasser... not the sort of jokes I’d >> seek out, but my type of comedy is not for others, either. If he was making >> jokes targeting the victims of harassment and I somehow didn’t see or hear >> those, then you guys hold him down and I’ll punch his smug little face >> until his teeth are in his ears. But in general terms, no subject should be >> deemed off limits for humor or satire or parody. And I frankly don’t care >> what the goober says. >> >> On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 12:17 PM PGage <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> SNL prefaced their first WU HW joke by noting it was hard for a comedian >>> to make jokes about the situation; I wondered if they had this incident >>> with Corden on mind. >>> >>> In the video of the Corden event published on the YouTube, it kind of >>> looks like Corden thinks the groans are from friends of HW; while the flak >>> seems to be from those who think the jokes either are at the expense of the >>> victims, or make light of the charges. Probably, better than making jokes >>> about the alleged behavior itself, comics might be better served making fun >>> of the Hollywood (and Washington, and Corporate, and Academic, and, hell, I >>> guess all male-dominated settings) culture that turned a self-serving and >>> cowardly blind eye towards this kind of behavior for so long. >>> >>> On Sun, Oct 15, 2017 at 11:43 AM Steve Timko <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> James Corden catches flak for joking about Harvey Weinstein >>>> >>>> LOS ANGELES (AP) - Television talk show host James Corden is facing a >>>> backlash over jokes he made about Harvey Weinstein. >>>> Corden made a string of quips about Weinstein and the sexual misconduct >>>> allegations against him during a Hollywood charity event Friday. Corden >>>> joked about Weinstein in a bathtub and said "he'll settle for whatever >>>> potted plant is closest." >>>> Italian actress Asia Argento, one of his Weinstein's accusers, chided >>>> Corden on Sunday on Twitter, saying "shame on this pig." >>>> Rose McGowan, another Weinstein accuser, tweeted that Corden's jokes >>>> show "EXACTLY what kind of HOLLYWOOD you really are." >>>> The host of "The Late Late Show" has not publicly responded. >>>> British police announced Sunday that more sexual assault charges were >>>> being brought against Weinstein. The Hollywood producer has insisted any >>>> sexual acts were consensual. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> -- >>>> TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "TV or Not TV" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected] >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "TVorNotTV" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>> -- >>> Sent from Gmail Mobile >>> >>> -- >>> -- >>> TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "TV or Not TV" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected] >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "TVorNotTV" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> -- >> Kevin M. (RPCV) >> >> -- >> -- >> TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "TV or Not TV" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected] >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "TVorNotTV" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Sent from Gmail Mobile -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
