Success and scrutiny go hand-in-hand about as well as anything ever will – particularly so if your profession of choice happens to be making the funnies.
“For such a keen observer of social norms and an effective satirist of the ways gender is complicated by them, Schumer has a shockingly large blind spot around race. Her lacklustre stint hosting the MTV Movie awards (a rare misstep) featured lazy jokes about Latina women being “crazy” that left Jennifer Lopez as unimpressed as the online commentariat.”
“While a much-lauded sketch from the show featured an ad for a training centre where old people learn not to be racist, Schumer’s stand-up repeatedly delves into racial territory tactlessly and with no apparent larger point. Her standup special features jokes like “Nothing works 100% of the time, except Mexicans” and much of her character’s dumb slut persona is predicated on the fact that the men she sleeps with are people of colour. “I used to date Latino guys,” she says in an older stand-up routine. “Now I prefer consensual.””
The citation of a mere three examples – two from the past, and one from an awards show gag which traditionally produces quality material with a strike rate of barely a full percent – notwithstanding, the insinuation was enough for Schumer to fire back with her now-typical conviction.
Put down your torches before reading this so you don’t catch on fire. pic.twitter.com/JyRQGvFuX8
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) June 28, 2015
“I am a comic. I am so glad more people are laughing at me and with me all of a sudden. I will joke about things you like, and I will joke about things you aren’t comfortable with. And that’s ok. Stick with me and trust I am joking. I go in and out of playing an irreverent idiot. That includes making dumb jokes involving race.
I enjoy playing the girl who time to time says the dumbest thing possible, and playing with race is a thing we are not supposed to do, which is what makes it so fun for comics. You can call it a “blind spot for racism,” or “lazy,” by you are wrong. It is a joke and it is funny. I know that because people laugh at it. Even if you personally did not.
I am not going to start joking about safe material. And don’t ask that of me. I love what I do and won’t let anyone take that away. I ask you to resist the urge to pick me apart. Trust me. I am not racist. I am a devout feminist, and lover of all people. My fight is for all people to be treated equally. So move on to the next person who is more deserving of your scrutiny and not the girl in your corner.
Sincerely, Amy (a dirty half-Jew).”
And this is where the modern issue of analytical equality and the art of comedy clash. Because the goal of all art is to provoke, and because comedy is the brashest and loudest art form, questions of material suitability will forever arise. But ultimately it’s the responsibility of the performer to handle their own material. No topic should be considered out-of-bounds, but performers do require both a deep understanding of their source subjects and their impact, and the self-awareness to not use degradation as a primary laugh-getter. Amy Schumer, quite handily, has both of those things.
