We often think of celebrities as having the world in their hands but they have worries, just like the rest of us. For many celebrities, this includes the possibility of being canceled.
Cancel culture is a real issue, and it affects anyone who entertains others. As Dawn French points out, however, comedians may be particularly prone to being canceled, as ‘cancel culture’ can easily be offended.
French is now speaking out, telling people who are offended by certain acts that they should just not attend. She is very open about talking about the dangers associated with comics being banned, calling it a ‘slippery slope.’
Last year, this happened to comedian Jerry Sadowtiz. His Edinburg Fringe show was canceled after people became offended at some of the content. Other TV programmers have been censored in one way or another and certain episodes of their show may be removed from streaming platforms.
A good example of this is discussed by Graham Linehan. As the creator of Father Ted, he was noticeably disturbed when transgender issues on his show were viewed negatively and it was canceled as a result.
66-year-old French made her original breakthrough in the 1980s. She spoke about the potential danger that comedy would face to be edgy as things went along. She said: “I’m a firm believer that if you censor comedians with their material, it’s a slippery slope to nowhere good.
“The way we (should) cancel people is, just don’t go to their gigs, don’t watch them on telly, don’t buy their books. That’s how you cancel people you don’t like. Let the people who like them have them.
“I believe that the whole point of comedians is to show you your world in a rather edgy way or a soft, fluffy way. Every comedian is different. Where would we be these days without Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor or all of those people that will probably be massively un-PC now?
“However, we all evolve and we know there are areas now that you think, ‘Oh, that’s a bit hateful’ or ‘That sounds a bit dodgy’ and I wouldn’t be going there, I don’t think we ever did, particularly. But young comedians will find a way to say the things they want to say and long may that be the case.”
We will have to see how things go from here, but at this point, it seems as if those who shout the loudest are the ones who are heard.