Rowan Atkinson: “Comedy’s Job is to Offend and It Can’t be Stopped”
Rowan Atkinson criticized ” cancel culture” during a recent interview with Irish Times, expressing his belief that comedy’s goal is to offend or have the potential of offending. He is best known for his roles as the title characters in sitcoms like “Blackadder” and “Mr. Bean” and “Johnny English,” respectively. Atkinson will next be joining Netflix to host the comedy series “Man vs. Bee.”
Atkinson stated that comedy’s job is to offend or have the potential of offending and that it can’t be taken away from that potential. “Cancel culture” was Atkinson’s definition of humor. “Every joke has a victim. This is the definition of a joke. “A joke is when someone or something or an idea is made ridiculous.”
Atkinson was asked if comedy should target authority figures only and not those with less power.
Atkinson replied, “I think it’s very important to be very careful about what you can make jokes about.” Are you ready to get up? Really? Is it possible to find someone who is extremely arrogant, assertive, self-satisfied and smug in society? They are not all in the houses of parliament and in monarchies.
Atkinson said that there are many extremely self-satisfied and smug people in the lower levels of society who should be pulled up. “A truly free society should allow you to joke about anything,” Atkinson said.
The comedian concluded that not all jokes are appropriate for everyone.
The new Netflix series “Man vs. Bee” by Atkinson premieres on June 24, 2018. Comedy star Trevor is a dumb father who gets a job as a house-sitter in a mansion full of classic cars, priceless artwork and a dog named Cupcake. When a bee invades Trevor’s house, chaos and shenanigans ensue. Trevor must do everything in his power to get rid of the bee.
