Two Funny Things
But also, serious.
Once before the world stopped I was sitting at a comedy club slash bar arguing with someone who produced shows there about (sorry) Louis CK. At one point she gestured around the room and said something to the effect of, There are probably lots of people here who’ve done much worse than Louis. You’re saying we should kick him out instead of them? I don’t remember what I replied exactly but it was probably (hopefully) some form of Why not kick them all out?! which she probably scoffed at because the only consistent principle in that world is that it’s foolish to have any principles. No one in charge cares about the Bad Things except as a rhetorical device, a thought experiment, an excuse not to do anything about the other Bad Things.
Today I would like to share two pieces reckoning with this most pressing of comedy’s moral concerns—the ongoing return of its canceled men—with more thoughtfulness and grace than you’ll ever find from any of their apologists. One is “The Opener,” a short story by Fran Hoepfner. The other is “Green,” a short film by Kylie Murphy. I hope you enjoy them.
