Marty says: "The guy’s sin wasn’t that he made a racist joke; it was that his joke sucked. You need to have A+ material when you mine those waters for humor, and you need to pick the right targets, or else you’ll get crucified. If Howard Stern or Sarah Silverman had said that exact same thing, nobody would have blinked because they’re obviously putting on a comedic persona. That’s a very Jewish kind of humor—acting like a horrible person to criticize horrible people—but the last time I checked, Imus has yet to lop off his smegma-oozing foreskin."
Marty writes for Reason magazine:
All three instances of failed shock humor — Richards’s, Coulter’s and Imus’s — led to condemnations and calls for sensitivity from a myriad of politicians and activists; Democratic Senator and Savior Barack Obama chastised Imus for his "divisive, hurtful and offensive" words, further suggesting that no one with "a public platform" should attempt to find humor in race-based stereotypes.
The problem with this viewpoint is that the majority of Americans — of all colors and classes — have laughed at these hideous prejudices at some point; if you try to disassociate yourself from the hordes of hatemongers, your DVD collection better not include anything with Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mel Brooks, Trey Parker or Matt Stone.
