While interviewing fellow comedian Jeff Ross on his show Real Time, Bill Maher brought up Jerry Seinfeld’s recent criticism of political correctness [1].
Maher and Ross went back and forth on the topic, praising Seinfeld’s defense of “comedy as an art form” and decrying “generic,” “watered-down” comedy that adheres to the politically correct standard.
Noting the importance of honest observation, Ross said, “Comedy is the best medicine … we have a responsibility to shine a light on the darkest aspects of society.”
Maher, a dedicated liberal himself, did not shy away from the fact that “liberals are definitely more PC.” He noted that “I used to fight with this audience all the time, because we used to get the audience strictly from liberal sources, then we got the audience, like, from everywhere, and I’ve had a much better time the last couple of months.”
Ross added, “People are sensitive.” “Too sensitive!” replied Maher. Ross stated people “should become more thick-skinned…some of these ‘PC’ police should try that – not taking themselves so seriously, not taking everything so seriously.
Maher and Ross join other comedians who support Seinfeld [2] and his anxiety for political correctness.
Still, there are plenty of lefties scandalized by Seinfeld’s dissent including an MSNBC panel that held Seinfeld’s opinion is irrelevant [3] because of his wealth. For his part, Maher promised to address the topic this week on his show.