That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy by Lou Perez (review)

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Reviewed by:

• That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy by Lou Perez
• Robert Kramer (bio)

that joke isn't funny anymore: on the death and rebirth of comedy
Lou Perez
Bombardier Books
https://posthillpress.com/book/that-joke-isnt-funny-anymore-on-the-death-and-rebirth-of-comedy
252 pages; Print, $18.00

Warning: There may be passages in this book (and in this review) that some readers will find offensive. However, I do not consider this problematic. I think it is healthy to confront opinions and attitudes different from ours, because it may encourage us to examine our own views more closely and perhaps even rethink them and modify them if necessary.

But what kind of book is this? The subtitle proclaims its subject is "the Death and Rebirth of Comedy." Yet this volume is much more than that.

Among other things, it is a sort of autobiography of a minority artist, a discussion of the goals and possibilities of comedy in general, a statement of some of the author's theories on the subject, a primer on becoming a comedian, an indictment of some of the excesses of political correctness and wokism, and a compendium of wisecracks and funny stories. It shines an alternative light on the many moods of America today.

At its core, That Joke is essentially serious. It deals with some major problems, issues, and tensions in American society, with varying degrees of depth and gravity. For Perez, one of the underlying causes of tension in the US today is the tendency to think in terms of group membership, whether ethnic, racial, religious, or economic, while ignoring or underestimating individual differences within each group. Such an attitude leads to demands for quotas, which can be divisive and self-defeating. [End Page 140]

Perez does not focus on the major long-term problems of racial discrimination in the United States, although, of course, he does not deny them. Rather, he calls attention to the dangers in the implementation and dissemination of certain woke theories. For example, he cites the opinions of woke leader Ibram X. Kendi, the author of multiple New York Times best-sellers and winner of a MacArthur "Genius Grant."

Kendi claims that the concept of intelligence is purely subjective and seems to agree with my congressman, Jamaal Bowman, that "standardized testing is the pillar of systemic racism," as if it would be better not to know the facts, better not to know what needs to be fixed. Kendi's parents had told him that education and hard work would uplift him, "just as it had uplifted them, and would, in the end, uplift all black people." Kendi calls such attitudes assimilationist or products of belief in white supremacy.

Perez further reveals the absurdity of some of Kendi's woke notions when he quotes passages from one of the latter's early weekly columns from Florida A&M University. According to Kendi, since whites make up only 10 percent of the world's population, and since they are facing extinction, they "have tried to level the playing field with the AIDS virus and cloning." Since this will not be sufficient, "murder, psychological brainwashing, and deception" will be employed. Perez believes that exposing such woke theories to laughter is also "speaking to power."

It would be impossible to discuss all the issues presented and the fruitful insights proffered in this volume, but here are some of the most provocative.

Perez repeatedly insists that the purpose of comedy is to make people laugh. (He shows no interest in exploring more deeply theoretical or psychological aspects of comedy, such as those introduced by Freud or Bergson.) This involves telling the truth, often the harsh truth, and it can strike in any direction—ideally, punching up at those in power, but Perez believes that no one should be shielded from laughter when they deserve it. And there should be no sacred cows.

In late 2020 the author found his work labeled "far-right" in an academic paper. He had been the head writer and producer of We the Internet TV and responsible for making hundreds of comedy videos about current events, politics...