Comedians and modern society are at it again. This time, it’s Matt Rife, a young comedian who blew up in the last couple of years due to short videos that show him interacting with the crowd. This is nothing new for comedy shows as performers always immerse the fans into their shows by verbally sparring with them. In this case, though, women especially gravitated towards Rife because they found the comedian to be very attractive.
Rife had a huge following; however, that fanbase mostly consisted of women. That’s why many were shocked about the opening joke of his comedy special. The special, Natural Selection, opens with the comedian talking about going to a restaurant with a friend and noticing that the hostess had a black eye. His friend felt that it would be better if she was working in the kitchen “so nobody has to see her face. Rife’s response: “I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
That set off a firestorm of angry fans who weren’t happy about the domestic violence joke. However, in a time where sex and hook-ups are showcased as more important than relationships, drugs are the “cool” thing, and the numerous shows and television that highlight gangs and violence itself as the proper way of life, Matt Rife’s controversy is misguided.
Modern Society Has Lost Sight On What Entertainment Is
It seems like comedians are in the news about some type of controversy every month. Whether it’s Dave Chapelle telling some type of queer joke that triggers the LGBTQ+ community, Ricky Gervais making fun of terminally ill kids, or anything that veers into dark humor, there’s immediate backlash for said comment. Now, I do understand that the culture has changed. The 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s were ripe with controversial jokes. In fact, there have been plenty of lists that highlight the shows and films that couldn’t be made today.
However, it’s silly to think that certain things or jokes couldn’t fly in this day and age. It masks a turn problem with society, which is that people have notably gotten soft and fragile. Matt Rife is a comedian; whether you think he’s funny or not is irrelevant. The important part to note was that he was performing a set of jokes in hopes of getting a laugh out of the crowd. Comedy is subjective, so if you didn’t find Rife’s sense of humor funny then that’s completely okay. At the end of the day, these are just jokes. Nothing less, nothing more.
Humor Is Subjective
This should be an obvious statement, but, in modern times, it isn’t. Again, we are allowed to determine what’s funny or not. However, comedians are allowed to tell whatever jokes they want. That’s the beauty of free speech. Sure, domestic violence is a serious subject, but dark humor is a category where comedic moments come from grim subjects such as death, illness, or violence. Dark Humor is not an easy genre to tackle. That’s why you rarely see films or shows that primarily have dark humor.
Films like Jojo Rabbit, Horrible Bosses, Seven Psychopaths, and Heathers are strong examples of dark comedies. Just because modern culture has changed, it doesn’t mean that these types of films still can’t be released today. Comedy is a beautiful art form that comes in a variety of ways. Trying to police a comedian’s voice takes away their freedom of speech. I could be wrong (most likely not), but comedians are harmless to society overall. People aren’t dying because of a comedian’s jokes. Comedies are supposed to be a haven where everyone is there to laugh and have a good time. If you’re offended by a comedian’s jokes then the response is simple: don’t watch any more of their material.
What Happened To Sticks And Stones?
Remember the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” That seems lost in translation in the modern culture. The odd thing about Rife’s “controversial” statement is that entertainment has found unique ways of making domestic violence romantic. Remember 365 Days? The popular Netflix film where a gangster kidnaps a woman and says he’ll keep her for a year until she falls in love with him. The After series is about a book-smart woman who gets into an extremely toxic and verbally abusive relationship with a Harry Styles wannabe. Should we even talk about 50 Shades of Grey?
These aren’t particularly about domestic violence per se, but the men in these films are horrible people. Yet, this type of fiction is popular in modern times. A joke about domestic violence is out of touch, but romanticizing kidnapping, verbal abuse, and a controlling narcissist is perfectly fine. Even then, this is fiction. All of this is a form of entertainment. It’s silly that comedians have to watch what they say because the intention overall is to make you laugh or smile. Whether you found the joke funny or not, the controversy surrounding Matt Rife is silly and misguided.
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