Ricky Gervais has recently come under fire for his Netflix comedy special, SuperNature.
The show seems to thrive at the expense of jokes made about the LQBTQ+ community. Gervais not only passes offensive remarks regarding trans women but also spreads misinformation about HIV.
“The worst thing you can say today is:’ Women don’t have penises’, right?” Gervais says in the special. “Now, no one saw that coming … We didn’t think we f**king had to.”
Continuing his jabs at trans women, he makes additional ignorant claims such as claiming that all women are supposed to have wombs, forgetting that there are many reasons why a cis woman might not have one. About one in 5,000 women are born without a uterus because of a condition known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser, others have them removed for various medical reasons.
“Women,” he says, “I mean, the old-fashioned ones. The old-fashioned women. Oh God! You know, the ones with wombs. Those f**king dinosaurs.”
He continues: “No, I love the new women. They’re great, aren’t they?” he says. “The new ones we’ve been seeing lately. The ones with beards and c**ks. They’re as good as gold, I love them.”
Soon enough, people called out his problematic behavior, including the American non-profit organization, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) which gave the following statement:
“We watched the Ricky Gervais ‘comedy’ special on Netflix so you don’t have to. It’s full of graphic, dangerous, anti-trans rants masquerading as jokes.
“He also spouts anti-gay rhetoric and spreads inaccurate information about HIV.”
Gervais, however, defends himself claiming his jokes are satirical and his views on such issues in reality are quite the opposite.
“That’s when I say something I don’t really mean, for comic effect, and you, as an audience, you laugh at the wrong thing because you know what the right thing is. It’s a way of satirizing attitudes.”
Gervais insists that he supports trans rights, stating per The Guardian: “Full disclosure: in real life, of course, I support trans rights. I support all human rights, and trans rights are human rights. Live your best life.
“Use your preferred pronouns. Be the gender that you feel that you are. But meet me halfway, ladies: lose the c***. That’s all I’m saying.”
Despite receiving criticism, Gervais remains unfazed and appears unwilling to engage with his critics. Many twitter users who have mocked his transphobic jokes claim to be blocked by Gervais.
While, many condemn his remarks, others support him under the notion of free speech. Like Gervais, they too fail to understand the consequences behind such words.
During his special, he dismisses the notion that “words are actual violence,” arguing, “These people are virtue signaling … they’re basically saying that minorities don’t have a sense of humor, which is so patronizing.”
However, Alexis Rangel of the National Center for Transgender Equality, warns that such jokes perpetuate ‘dehumanizing myths about transgender people,’ potentially inciting discrimination and violence.
Amidst all this, Netflix has also been criticized for failing to adhere to its own policies.
GLAAD stated: “The LGBTQ community and our allies have made it very clear that so-called comedians who spew hate in place of humor, and the media companies who give them a platform, will be held accountable,” the right groups stated.
Meanwhile, Gervais has made it clear that he does not fear getting “cancelled”, and true cancellation is only the result of breaking a law.
In an interview on the Stick to Football podcast, he says, ““I’m aware of it, but I can justify everything. I don’t go out there and just say the first thing that comes to my head, thinking there is no consequence … Everything I do, I’ve got to be able to go, ‘This is why it’s okay,’” he said.”
“Some people didn’t like it, fine. You actually have to break the law to be properly canceled. Otherwise, some people didn’t like it, that’s fine, it’s the way of the world,” he commented.
It’s clear that Gervais refuses to acknowledge his fault, as he again reiterates his use of taboo subjects as intentional: “It’s like I’m taking them by the hand through a scary forest, but it’s alright in the end, and we can all laugh about it. That’s what comedy’s for, to get you through scary things.”
This begs the question why comedians can’t move past the “one joke”? Critics argue that this would require for them to actually figure out some fresh material.
In contrast, comedians like George Carlin are often praised for using humor as a tool against powerful people rather than the underdogs of society.
