It is not uncommon for comedians to have key points when it comes to the boundaries of their expression, but their commitment to retaining the ongoing belief that R-word's commitment specifically demonstrates harmlessness, comic potential, or both.
Illustration: Zohar Lazar
In his new HBO special PanicMarc Maron about his peers in the comedy industry, who voted for Donald Trump with a desire to protect their freedom of speech. “What they really want is to be able to say the R word in an impunity,” he said. Then, Malone listed a series of shocking consequences of Trump's re-election, including “the collapse of the federal government, the instability of the global economy, the deportation of thousands of people to places they may not have come from, the actual suppression of the speech and rights of the LGBTQ people and women, and the actual suppression of the LGBTQ people, and the rise of authoritarianism.” Finally, he tagged the joke: “Sometimes I want to ask them, 'It's worth it, are you fucking mentally retarded?”
Although Malone did not name the specific comedians he quoted in this point, he has since clarified that he wrote about specific comedians – Player – Joe Rogans, Joe Rogans, Joe Rogans, Joe Rogans, and Tony Hinchcliffes, who was a liberal liberal who used the word without reservation. In April, Rogan inspired the words Joe Rogan Experience That word Intellectual retardation Back, and celebrated its return as his own podcast won the “Great Cultural Victory”. 2 bears, 1 cave, In June. “Everyone said Intellectual retardation again. In the show; Segura said: “This is standing. We're going to say it again.” The pilot of the 2024 FX sitcom English teachera pair of frustrated high school teachers said to their shared observation that the children were “speaking the R word again” and not “wake up” anymore. Meanwhile, new Naked gun There is a villain named Richard Cane in the movie who owns a private club Intellectual retardation No rebound.
Since Segura defended R-Word on Netflix special in 2018 shameful, Inspired a passionless demand for the special program. (Legendary made a surreal turn when Netflix fired a white executive for misleading using N-words when asking the platform why it saw R-Word as a misleading of R-Word. Tom Brady's Baking -When sharing the stage with Segura, there are also many. “You put the 'downs' in the 'tweeter'. You do that. You put the 'tard' in the 'Rob Gronkowski',” she said. Not only did she and Netflix not face meaningful backlash, but the success of the game directly led her to a chance to receive the Golden Globe Award.
Cultural sentiment swing signal marks a bigger trend Malone briefly touches on his special. A little foreseeable about the audience's reaction to him saying this word slow downhe predicted that he would receive emails from fans reminding him that its use was painful even in the context of irony. “Progressives do have to figure out how to solve this buzz problem,” he said. “I know these are important issues, but you do realize that we annoy the average Americans fascism.” His logic echoes comedians and comedy announcers on what is called “Dirtbag left.” Chapo Trap House and the current flaws Jicheng Town,,,,, They often use color languages while espousing a broad range of progressive beliefs. Their worldview is on the right side of history and does not need to be humorless scolding. This is a contagious sense of responsibility, and has since found the way to stand. “I will be a good person locally, but I will be very happy now.” Saturday Night Live Actor Emil Wakim said in a 2024 show that he did not take any gestures in the name of incremental value to make meaningful changes in the world. “I marched. I recycled. Man, I vote Joe BidenWoolen cloth I said I am mentally retarded now. ”
Baking in this joke is a common argument about why it is possible to laugh at and laugh at many people as unacceptable. It is not a derogatory term for treating the R word, i.e., a detrimental person who is considered harmful, but a symbol of performative social justice. On her 2023 HBO Special Salute to me or shoot me,,,,, Sam Jay made reasons for the utilities and revival of the word, trying to solve the problem. “There are some words in society that we can no longer reach because we are so afraid of offending anyone, we are so prepared to speak to the police, not to listen to others, that we don't even talk more,” she said. “For me, the problem has never been said before. Intellectual retardation. It’s just that the person we call the wrong one being mentally retarded. That's in us. Autistic patients are not mentally retarded. They have autism. We understand this. Their brains work differently. It is handled differently. Beautiful. People with Down syndrome do not have mental retardation…Any type of learning delay or learning disability: You do not have mental retardation. In fact, you learn just like all of us. But Herschel Walker is mentally retarded! ”
The joke is delivered in Jay's rumination style and is well performed. She spent the right time desensitizing the audience and articulating the purpose of the joke. But apart from execution, this is hardly a new comics realm. Stand has been strengthening R-word's defense since the first rumble of political incorrectness in the early 2000s. Considering the joke of Ralphie May, his 2006 album ” A fence of a country. Or the joke of Nick Swards, his 2007 album ” Party. Or, reportedly, a young Malone is recording a 2007 joke Comedy Central Gift Special. Or, recently, Matt Rife's joke was reportedly told on a trip in 2024. Russell Peters' joke comes from his 2025 YouTube special Show your age; Or Ari Shaffir's 2025 Netflix Special, American sweetheart. Sure, there are some nuances that separate these jokes from each other, but there is enough overlap between them to indicate that premises transcend.
It is not uncommon for comedians to have key points when it comes to the boundaries of their expression, but their commitment to retaining the ongoing belief that R-word's commitment specifically demonstrates harmlessness, comic potential, or both. Sometimes this stems from their point of view that the witty replacement for the alleged R-word is equally offensive, a classic example of a morale treadmill in practice. (possible Spiritual Challenge: “This is more slow down. This is a name that most people with mental retardation cannot even pronounce! ”) They may also argue that words idiot,,,,, imbecileand Dumb Once used to refer to people with intellectual disabilities, but still in jokes and jokes about this morally inconsistent jokes and jokes, when joking with comedians, Not investigated. (Depend on SNL Writer KC Shornima: “I had trouble the other day Homeless …I think their problem is not marketing. It's not that I called him a barrier. ”)
But as Malone points out, it may just be that word comes with undeniable “juice”. It was a nostalgic choice for generations, remembering its ubiquitous era, conveying dangers to generations, they only called it slur, and satisfactorily inserted into the punch line due to its jagged consonant. Louis CK Sincere Louis CK, He believes that the elimination of the word does not meaningfully improve anyone's quality of life. The drill bit is subtle, but he demonstrates how words can be repeated by repeating over and over again, then repeated in a Boston accent, and then deliberately prolonging its syllables.
In the worst case scenario, R-Word jokes rely too much on these reflective pop and repetitions. They inspire underdeveloped writing, and comedians have nothing else to do except put on stigma and shit-shirts. Michael Che Humiliation of the Devil: “You have to make yourself very big and you have to make a lot of noises. Because if the bear thinks he is mentally retarded, the bear will not eat you,” he said. “I know it's not a good thing. But I'll just say that because I think it will make you laugh. There's a recent example in Jerrod Carmichael's 2025 HBO Special, Don't be gay. In explaining that he doesn't think whites have a higher status than he does, because his only contact growth is a family, where each member “experiences some form of mental disability”, he laughs purely from a more bluntly rescheduled: “I told my therapist, 'I don't think I have a complex of inferiority complex because for the first 13 years of my life, I thought all whites were white'.
Carmichael is bold enough to not hide his use of the R word in preemptive defense or apology, but his lack of powerful fists makes his dependence on crutches reveal his dependence on the word. When asked in an interview what he would say to someone who offended the joke, Carmichael said, “This is something someone said to me after the show.” Anecdotes or otherwise, such evidence suggests that Rogan and Segura’s claims have some validity, that the claims of casual use of R-word grew again. But with the taboo surrounding it, the value of comedy on stage is reduced to shock the audience, defending its usage or using it as a very cool shorthand.
In 2024, Australian comic James Donald Forbes McCann toured with Shane Gillis, who is a fanatical R-word revengeer in his own right – recited a comedy poem, and he wrote a comedy poem that shows that the transition is completed. “I said this one year ago Intellectual retardation In a crowded room, I was deafening at the sound of thanks and celebrations,” he read a book. Intellectual retardation. “He continued, “I said it last night Intellectual retardation In the same way. There are still celebrations, but it is not the same at all. The world has changed. McCann explained that R-Word's “fight” is “fight and victory” and he is looking for a new immeasurable word to recycle: “Alexander weeps because there is no more world to conquer. But I didn't feel like crying. Intellectual retardation Already conquered, but the wind is crying mischief. ”
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