Comedian Rowan Atkinson shared his views on "cancel culture," stating that every joke needs to have a victim.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Atkinson discussed his definition of comedy, noting that offending people is part of the performance. "It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential," Atkinson said. "Every joke has a victim. That’s the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous." The comedian is widely recognized for his performances in the British slapstick sitcom Mr. Bean as well as his more vocalized role as the titular character in Blackadder.
"I think you’ve got to be very, very careful about saying what you’re allowed to make jokes about," Atkinson continued. "You’ve always got to kick up? Really? What if there’s someone extremely smug, arrogant, aggressive, self-satisfied, who happens to be below in society? They’re not all in houses of parliament or in monarchies. There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up." The actor concludes by stating that in a "proper free society" people should be able to joke about any topic.
This isn't the first time Atkinson has shared his thoughts on "cancel culture." In early 2021, the comedian commented that social media was having a detrimental impact on the world's sense of humor. "The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a simplistic, binary view of society," Atkinson said. "It becomes a case of either you're with us or against us. And if you're against us, you deserve to be 'canceled.'" The comedian continued on to equate "cancel culture" to medieval witch hunts, stating that the idea of online "mobs" fills him with fear for the future.
While Atkinson's fans can next catch the actor in his upcoming Netflix comedy Man vs Bee, audiences hoping that he will eventually don the jacket and tie of Mr. Bean again may be disappointed. "I don't much enjoy playing him," Atkinson said, noting that the responsibility of the role has left him wearing in recent years. "I look forward to the end of it."
Man vs Bee hits Netflix on June 24.
Source: The Irish Times