Over the past few years especially, it feels like comedians are advocating for a more relaxed and a less “politically correct” view of their humor. As in, many comedians want to be given the freedom to work out material about race on stage without any worries that the material will go viral and everyone will call them racists. Many of the comedians on this campaign are white, although I’ve heard a few non-white comedians make similar arguments. I don’t really know how I feel about the issue in general – I think it depends on the joke, it depends on the circumstance and it depends on the comedian.
Personally, I don’t really like George Lopez. I find him messy and I think his comedy is really hacky. So I was already coming into this conversation with an attitude. Anyway, Lopez was doing a set in Phoenix, Arizona when he made a race-related joke. This is what happened:
George Lopez went nuclear on a woman in his audience … calling her a bitch and booting her from his show because she reacted poorly to one of his jokes. It went down Saturday night at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. George quipped, “There are only 2 rules in the Latino family — don’t marry somebody black and don’t park in front of our house.”
Most people in the crowd burst into laughter except a woman in the front row, who flipped Lopez the bird. And that’s all she wrote.
You can see the video here at TMZ. What happened after the woman flipped him the bird is that he lost his mind, telling her to sit her f–king ass down and calling her a “bitch” repeatedly. See? That’s what offends me. The joke about Latinos marrying a black person is just meh/whatever, but I’m disturbed by Lopez’s reaction to one woman flipping him off after she didn’t care for the joke. As for the joke… is it racist? Or does it just feel like a lukewarm version of a much better Chris Rock joke? Twitter is really divided about this. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Photos courtesy of WENN.
What Chris Rock joke?
Is pointing out racists attitudes in your own culture in itself racist?
Did you omit the punchline? Because that “joke” is drier than the Sahara. If you are going to offend at least be funny.
He’s been a professional comedian for decades, and can’t handle an audience member flipping the bird? Toughen up, George.
He has always really irritated me (his voice especially) but comedy is subjective so whatever. But that kind of over the top reaction is uncalled for.
I hate his yelly voice. He is and always was a dick.
OUr latino family was so racist about blacks in particular, so I “get it” as being an ignorant and ridiculous attitude, particularly coming from another marginalized culture. So it’s only funny if you ARE latino and realize how absurd this is….I suppose it was his delivery and non-backstory that made this an abrasive joke
I don’t know how I feel about this. I haven’t watched the footage. I feel like his joke is pointing out the racism of many Latinos, specifically Mexicans, towards Black people. However, as a Black person, being on the receiving end of that racism, specifically from other racialized individuals is crazy-making/anger inducing. I don’t think that I would have been okay being in that audience and hearing him say this joke. He does a lot of jokes about race and racism, and while some of it is on point, I don’t think that he is the sharpest, smartest, or most insightful comedian by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, I agree that he is a bit of a hack.
Him calling this woman a bitch, though?? That trick can take all of the f’ing seats. And the people cheering him on can GTFOH. Ugh, I don’t have the patience to unpack what was problematic about either his or the crowds reactions, although considering that he is not a very good comedian you would think that he would be used to heckling by now.
PREACH, sister, PREACH!! He is so overrated… and obviously acting like tRump in that if you say something bad, or disagree with his comments/observations, then YOU are a sucky person who is bad for America. Obviously, a Tiny Fist Syndrome going on there!
Reminds me of Michael Richards’s racist rant at a heckler. Instead of attacking her with racial epithets, he attacked her sex. Pretty sure comedians are subjected to worse than the middle finger. If he wasn’t funny, he only has himself to blame– not a paying audience member.
Yeah the story is not the joke (it’s lame, but whatever). The story is his reaction to her! He went nuclear. WTF? Am I missing something here?
I don’t think this is a case of him being a bigot though. His response is typical butthurt misogynist trash, but him pointing out that lighter skin latinos make bigoted comments about African Americans and Afro-Latinos is not bad. I would have to here the rest of the joke to see what side he landed on.
Having said that, George Lopez has never been funny. I watched his show years ago and the funniest people on the show were everyone but him-especially the woman who played George’s mom.
I’m not a fan of political correctness as it tends to result in a lack of honest intellectual discourse and it makes people fearful of voicing an opinion for fear of being labeled a racist, etc. That being said, if a comedian makes a joke that isn’t politically correct I don’t have a problem with it. But own it and the audience action that results. It seems a little crazy to exercise your freedom of speech only to deny the same freedom in someone else.
This. The radio show I listen to in the morning was discussing this & while everyone agreed that Lopez’s reaction was over the top ridiculous, one host said that you can’t go to a comedy show without “thick skin”/ you just can’t get offended so easily, basically. But another host, who actually does stand up comedy himself said that this is what he hates about comedians, they want to say whatever they want, but, in cases like this, they get annoyed when someone reacts badly to their joke. He felt like the woman had a right to find the joke offensive & Lopez completely loosing it was hypocritical.
Even if true I agree it’s hypocritical for the comedians to have thinner skin than they expect their audience to.
How about tact? Compassion? Being appropriate in any given situation? Are you a “fan” of that? You can be honest and honestly intellectual as well as tactful, appropriate and considerate–yes, it is actually possible. Lopez isn’t challenging political correctness. He is just an a**hat. That is what he needs to own up to.
but most people already know what they’re going to when they attend a stand up hosted by george lopez. not the place to be if you want comparison and intellectual honesty because that’s not his shtick and you’re not his audience.
“How about tact? Compassion? Being appropriate in any given situation? Are you a “fan” of that? You can be honest and honestly intellectual as well as tactful, appropriate and considerate–yes, it is actually possible.” Exactly. So many people fail to get that (or choose to fail to get it, because they’re stuck in this default fingers-in-the-ears, “La-la-la- Free Speech! I automatically have the side of Truth & Logic! Not listening, snowflakes!” state that’s there to insulate them from any criticism for what they say).
I’m not a fan of the whole anti-political-correctness thingy, because it tends to promote both a false “Everybody’s real ‘truth’ is this racist, misogynist, etc, thing over here, but only a few of us ‘rebels’ are Brave, Revolutionary, & Contrarian enough to say it!” smug little narrative and a false “Protecting Truth & First Ammendment rights is only possible if people don’t critique or respond negatively to racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc.” narrative. That said, I don’t think George Lopez was being racist or expressing his own views when he made this joke, I think he was just highlighting a racist attitude that exists in his culture. But his reaction to the woman who thought his joke was racist says more about how thin-skinned and intolerant HE is (and not to mention sexist, out-of-control, and unable to handle women not submissively being ok with whatever comes out of his mouth. )
CTGirl and Char, I completely agree with you! Never understand how people will go to off color comedian stand ups (bob saget, Chris rock or George Lopez and expect “tact, compassion or being appropriate.” That’s not what’s being advertised and if you don’t think you’ll enjoy the racial jokes or issues, don’t pay a lot of money and go to their shows lol
George Lopez will always be the guy who was terrible towards his now ex-wife. The woman who gave him her kidney.
^ So. Much. THIS ^
I hate him and his jokes. I hate that because I’m Mexican American I’m “supposed” to laugh at his shit pandering to cliches stereotype jokes and if I don’t, I don’t get it or I’m stuck up. I cannot believe he’s as successful as he is. Dave Chappelle is more my speed and his racial jokes are at least funny. Don’t even get me started on George getting a kidney from his wife, who he cheated on. The POS just needs to fade. He does NOT represent myself or my culture.
Wow. So many people missing the point of the “joke”…. the racism in Lopez’s own community. Lopez is a POS… that’s a given, but, comedy/satire is supposed to push boundaries. It’s supposed to point out what’s uncomfortable. I don’t want any PC comedy where people can’t make fun of their own faults.
That said, yup, Lopez is a hack and tired & hackneyed and a lazy comedian. Someone else could have done it better.
I don’t think people are missing the point. Most have acknowledged that the joke itself was not racist. It’s Lopez’s reaction to the woman that was problematic. If he wants to tell un-PC jokes, fine. As a veteran comedian, he should understand that not everyone in his audience is going to like every joke that he tells. Freaking out on the woman like that was disgusting.
I agree @Goldie. Comedians can tell whatever jokes they want (I feel like comedy shouldn’t have to be PC) but they have to deal with the fall out if the joke is criticized, if it bombs, if enough people feel that the humor is offensive or not funny that it actually results in fewer ticket sales, etc. His reaction was completely inappropriate and out of line. He’s been a comedian for a long time-you’d think he’d be used to hecklers, etc by now.
He usually has the utmost respect for women, I am shocked that this one time he messed up like this. Oh no wait, he doesn’t, this is a guy who cheated on the wife who donated her kidney to him, with hookers…Nevermind.
If I couldn’t stand his brand of humor before, I find it positively disgusting now. He was rude and crude to this woman, and the audience joining in….classy!!
Rock is funny, Saget funny, Chapelle funny, George on the other hand….not as much.
It seems a little Trumpish if he gets pissed and throws a fit so easily. Someone flipped the bird. Wow.
Liz, the word Trumpish should be in the dictionary. Hope you don’t mind but I’m going to start using it
I don’t know if this makes him racist. I’ll say this much though… 99% of George Lopez’s comedy in my experience has revolved around him making jokes about people’s ethnicities/countries of origin/race. I used to watch reruns of his sitcom and he was ALWAYS talking shit about Cuban people and white people. But he also makes fun of Mexicans. His idea of comedy seems to be just making fun of people’s backgrounds. I recently learned via YouTube that he had a show that involved him taking a DNA/blood test from his guests and telling them what percentage white/black/hispanic they are… I never quite understood that. I know that Jessica “Don’t call me Latina” Alba went on there and just about had a nervous breakdown when the test revealed that she was almost entirely European and not Latina.
As far as him going nuclear on her, this is not uncommon. Someone posted a video of another comedian that I never heard of who went A LOT harder on a woman in his audience for about 10 minutes straight. Like Lopez, that comedian constantly referred to women as bitches. There’s a fine line in comedy between what’s offensive and what isn’t. Misogyny is alive and well in comedy, apparently. Some of these people who are seriously unfunny take it too far. I’ve never understood how George Lopez had a career in comedy, but to each his own.
Sandra Bullock jumpstarted his career. She was looking for Latino comedy writers for representation but sadly she picked the most basic of them all.
He seems unhinged. Truly. And just an unfunny ass.
I really don’t laugh at stereotypical racial jokes even it is from my own. Ali Wong is one of the funniest standups I’ve seen in a while. She is fearless and original. She makes Asian family jokes but not your typical Rex Navarete or Maggie Cho style.
As for George Lopez, why is he the most famous Mexican in the US? He wasn’t even raised in Mexico. I am still side eyeing some LatAm org who gave him honors for positive representation of Latinos in media? He has been perpetuating stereotypes with his schtick. And now he just reinforced what Vicente Fox Quesada and some Latinos think about lowly black people.
I can’t understand how anyone would go to comedy show and fully expect not to hear anything offensive. Comedy is offensive. Context is everything.
I don’t think it was racist in the cultural context of his own family pov. But calling that woman a “b” and flipping out was nuts. It just feels like if he were more confident and a really clever comedian, he could have seared her with a clever joke and moved on. Don Rickles would not have this problem. Of course, I don’t know anyone who would flip off Don Rickles. Because he’s a genius.