X Ox Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca (¥Y White bunnies, fake beards, and harmful lies (¥ Stop complaining that the movie wasn’t as good as the book ¥ Millennials, let's stop shitting on Gen Z And more! Comedy isn't dead, and PC culture didn't kill it > Maybe it’s the comedy, and not the audience, that needs to improve Katie Czenczek Staff Writer olitical correctness has not killed stand-up comedy. I might be stereotyping a little, but maybe there’s a reason that the majority of people making these statements are straight, old, white men and not those belonging to marginalized groups. After all, it is Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, “Larry the Cable Guy,” Bill Maher, and Chris Rock who have made these statements publicly. Seinfeld and Rock went as far to say that they will no longer perform at colleges and universities because they're PC cesspools. Okay, they didn’t say cesspools, but they did mention that political correctness is the reason why. However, is it really PC culture that’s causing their lack of popularity with younger audiences, or are they just out of touch? Using “politically correct” college students as scapegoats for why a joke didn’t land is like asking a girl out on a date and then calling her a whore for saying no—you can try and get rejected, but you can’t throw a tantrum about it afterwards if it fails. It’s not the audiences’ fault that they didn’t find an insulting joke funny. Rather, it’s on the comedians for not knowing their audiences. What was acceptable as a joke 50 years ago is not going to be acceptable today, and I think that’s a good thing. It highlights a more tolerant and aware society, where harmful stereotypes are no longer sources for acceptable forms of humour. Anyone remember that stand-up routine where Michael Richards—better known as Kramer from Seinfeld—said the n-word about 50 times? Even in the early 2000s that wasn't okay, well before modern “PC culture” was making headlines. In fact, if people are looking for something to blame, then they can look no further than social media. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have made it that much easier to drag someone publicly, which can explain why these comedians have noticed more critiques of their content. Yes, comedians need to be able to flirt with the line between funny and offensive, and it is okay to mess up every once ina while. However, with social media giving the everyday person a voice to call out things they didn’t like about a show, comedians need to be less offended by people calling their jokes offensive. Do I think that PC culture can go too far at times? Yes, I’ll admit that there are times when people use it as censorship for what a person can and cannot say. However, as it is that person’s right to say something offensive, it is also another person’s right to respond back and say it’s not okay. Good comedy, in my opinion, doesn’t come from a person in a position of power demeaning a marginalized group of people, it’s instead intelligent and often provides a glimpse into the lives of the comics themselves. Acts such as Eddy Murphy during the 80s highlighted some of the experiences of Black people living in America in a funny—yet informative—way. No comedian has ever broken new ground by telling a Holocaust joke or any variation on the old trope, “a woman, gay man, and Asian guy walk into a bar...” Not only are these jokes inappropriate, White bunnies, fake beards, and harmful lies > Parents should stop lying to kids about the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy Jessica Berget Opinions Editor o you remember how old you were when you realized that Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were not real, and that your parents were liars? I do. Easter is coming up at the end of the month, which means the annual tradition of parents lying to their kids about the existence of a rabbit who ensures they're on their best behaviour all year and then rewards them by hiding chocolate in their house is upon us yet again. I remember these times as a child well, but I also remember the disillusionment of finding out that none of the fantastical characters I believed in so fiercely were real, which makes me wonder, is it worth lying about? I was eight years old when I decided to stay up late on Christmas Eve to find out for myself if Santa was real or not. When I saw my mom putting presents under the Christmas tree, I was crushed. I thought if she was lying about this, what else could she be lying about? It didn’t take me long to figure out that she was probably lying about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy as well, which disappointed me even further. Of course, a little white lie never hurt anyone; lying is justified in some cases, but to lie about something so insignificant as the existence of a magical being that you know is not real for so long, knowing your kids are eventually going to discover the truth anyway, is outrageous to me. I can’t help but think that lying to your child about anything from a young age will only forge distrust between a child and their parent. In fact, in one study this has proven to be true. In an article published by Lancet Psychiatry, psychologists Kathy McKay and Chris Boyle suggest that lying to kids, even about something as fun as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, could undermine their trust in their parents, and lead them to “abject disappointment” when they finally discover that it’s not real. Some parents claim that telling children about the existence of these characters gives them a better sense of imagination. However, I would argue that passing on the tradition of telling |_| your kids that all their gifts are from a fictional character who watches their every move is only going to limit their imaginations more, and probably freak them out. You are telling them what to believe, instead of them deciding for themselves what they want to believe. Kids are smarter than some people give them credit for. I think if you were to ask where they think their gifts come from or telling them that some people believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy and whatnot, instead of passing on an old story that has been told for generations as a fact, it would allow them to broaden their imagination and teach them to be more critical in their thinking. Some parents have taken the higher Illustration by Cara Seccafien but they've also all been done before. Overall, being a comedian is a tough gig. It must be frustrating having multiple people criticize the material you've worked hard to create. However, there is a difference between PC culture killing comedy and being washed up, so maybe it’s time for comics to check if what they're saying is funny rather than pointing fingers at younger generations. road on the Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy debate. Instead of telling them whether they’e real or not real, they tell their kids that it’s just a story—or, when they’re a little older—a metaphor. This allows them to still experience the fantasy-like wonder of the holidays and the world without outright lying to them. As fun as it is to believe in these characters when you’e young, I don’t think risking your child’s trust is worth such a big, white lie. There are other ways to experience childhood whimsy without lying to your kids about imaginary beings. Photo by April Martinez via Huffington Post