| Should the Government Regulate Comedy? | ||||||||
| 40 Percent of Americans Think So | ||||||||
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By Daniel Kurtzman Nearly 4 in 10 Americans believe the government should regulate comedy routines that make light of events like the World Trade Center attack or the Oklahoma City bombing, according to a new nationwide survey. Majorities of those surveyed also said the government should crack down on public comments — funny or not — that might offend racial or religious groups. And nearly 40 percent think that material intended as humor should be banned from the Internet if it can be construed as offensive. The survey, conducted by the nonprofit First Amendment Center, provides the first detailed look at American attitudes toward comedy in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. While most Americans have managed to retain their sense of humor, the survey suggests that a significant percentage are reluctant to give full First Amendment protection to comedic speech, art or performances that could potentially insult or offend others. "There seems to be a willingness to give up a few liberties in exchange for fewer hurt feelings," said Ken Paulson, the center's executive director. How far people would be willing to let the government go, of course, is another question. The idea of Attorney General John Ashcroft combing through the late-night TV monologues for subversive material, for example, is not something that would likely go over well. Specifically, the survey asked whether people would favor or oppose government involvement to restrict the public performances of comedy routines that make light of or trivialize tragedies like the World Trade Center attacks or the Oklahoma City bombing. Thirty-nine percent either strongly or mildly favored government restrictions, while 57 percent said they would oppose such action. Most comedians were widely praised for the way they handled the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. The late-night comics, led by David Letterman, paid emotional tributes to the city of New York and the victims of the attacks before easing back into humor. Their jokes about how Americans were coping provided much-needed comic relief that greatly aided the national healing process. On the Internet, millions of Americans found catharsis in a stockpile of immensely popular jokes and parodies lampooning Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, as well as members of our own lunatic fringe, like Jerry Falwell and Geraldo. Even New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani urged Americans to lighten up. A month after the terrorist attacks, Giuliani appeared at a Carnegie Hall charity benefit and quipped, "I'm here to give you permission to laugh. If you don't, I'll have you arrested." So far, no one is talking seriously about regulating comedy, although the Bush administration came close back in September. After Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher made some unfortunate remarks in which he contrasted the actions of the Sept. 11 hijackers with what he called the "cowardly" past actions of the U.S. military, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer had this to say: "There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that." What do you think? Should government take it
upon itself to begin regulating political comedy, or is that the kind of thing
that would lead us down a slippery slope toward becoming a fascist police state? Take
our poll. Related
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