3 ms·

A comedian, on stage in a comedy club, can say whatever they like. A representative of Dell, standing in front of Dell employees, should not be telling a chunk

A comedian, on stage in a comedy club, can say whatever they like. A representative of Dell, standing in front of Dell employees, should not be telling a chunk of those employees that they are worth less because of their gender.

Tichy 15y ago
I thought it was a hired comedian, not a representative of Dell. Of course it was still a very bad choice.
rurounijones 15y ago
Devil's advocate: "I am a famous comedian well known for humour type X; Dell hired me to MC their event knowing this; which is at least tacit approval of my routine. Otherwise they obviously wouldn't have hired me" If you have to hire someone and tell them not to use their trademark humour then why are you hiring them in the first place?
- daeken 15y ago
  I don't think anyone is saying that the comedian didn't have the right to say what he did, or even that he shouldn't have said it. The lapse in judgement is on Dell, not on the comedian.
- AndrewDucker 15y ago
  Absolutely. I don't blame the comedian for the situation - he was carrying out his job. I blame the people who booked someone without checking they were appropriate.
- Deestan 15y ago
  Yes, that's the point. Dell are the ones to blame for putting that guy on stage, and they are getting the criticism. MC, however despicable, just did his thing as advertised.
  - sp332 15y ago
    I don't think "Dell" deserves the blame. I think whoever booked this guy is to blame.
    - anotherthrow 15y ago
      That would be a representative of Dell, acting on behalf of Dell, arranging for payment to be made by Dell.
      - sp332 15y ago
        And hopefully punished or even fired by Dell, because they're not representing Dell very well.
Indyan 15y ago
But was he a representative of Dell? If you hire a comedian, then does it become his responsibility to stick to your sensibilities? The onus should be on Dell and not on the comedian. Moreover, since when are we supposed to interpret what a comedian says so literally? The comment that seems to be most offensive is "Thank god there's so few women in this business, keep up the good work!" Taken sarcastically, that very statement would become an indictment of the tech industry for failing to maintain a gender balance. I am certain that if the same line had come from a lady, no one would have found it offensive. Now, I am not saying that the comedian in question isn't misogynist. I know nothing about his personality. I am simply trying to play the devil's advocate. I just want to highlight that context and intention matter. Otherwise, Russel Peters would be in jail by now. Also, why I am being downvoted to oblivion for raising a pretty reasonable point of discussion? In my mind, downvotes shouldn't be used as a tool for censorship, or to restrict discussion. It should be used for quality control more than anything else.
- jbri 15y ago
  > I am certain that if the same line had come from a lady, no one would have found it offensive. Well yes, because context matters. When you have a power disparity, comedy only goes one way - if a member of a majority group makes disparaging remarks about a minority group, that's not funny, it's straight-up bigotry.
  - roopeshv 15y ago
    so anyone can make a joke about asian guys, you know because there are over a billion them in this world
- yummyfajitas 15y ago
  Don't try to interpret this logically. Interpret it as a weird expression of American culture. In the US, we consider racism/sexism to be the worst thing ever. Compare to female promiscuity in India, or perhaps being disloyal to your family (I'm guessing from your username that you might be from India). For example, when I was working in India, I mentioned that my friend's babymomma (the mother of his child, to whom he was not married) was visiting me. The ladies in the office gave me a rather shocked and horrified reaction. In the US, you'd get the same reaction if you made a joke about Gujus. My suggestion is that if you are in the US, play along with it and just accept it as a weird Americanism. In much the same way, Indians constantly asking me about my family is just a funny cultural thing I play along with.

Tichy 15y ago

I thought it was a hired comedian, not a representative of Dell. Of course it was still a very bad choice.

rurounijones 15y ago

Devil's advocate: "I am a famous comedian well known for humour type X; Dell hired me to MC their event knowing this; which is at least tacit approval of my routine. Otherwise they obviously wouldn't have hired me" If you have to hire someone and tell them not to use their trademark humour then why are you hiring them in the first place?

daeken 15y ago
I don't think anyone is saying that the comedian didn't have the right to say what he did, or even that he shouldn't have said it. The lapse in judgement is on Dell, not on the comedian.
AndrewDucker 15y ago
Absolutely. I don't blame the comedian for the situation - he was carrying out his job. I blame the people who booked someone without checking they were appropriate.
Deestan 15y ago
Yes, that's the point. Dell are the ones to blame for putting that guy on stage, and they are getting the criticism. MC, however despicable, just did his thing as advertised.
- sp332 15y ago
  I don't think "Dell" deserves the blame. I think whoever booked this guy is to blame.
  - anotherthrow 15y ago
    That would be a representative of Dell, acting on behalf of Dell, arranging for payment to be made by Dell.
    - sp332 15y ago
      And hopefully punished or even fired by Dell, because they're not representing Dell very well.

Indyan 15y ago

But was he a representative of Dell? If you hire a comedian, then does it become his responsibility to stick to your sensibilities? The onus should be on Dell and not on the comedian. Moreover, since when are we supposed to interpret what a comedian says so literally? The comment that seems to be most offensive is "Thank god there's so few women in this business, keep up the good work!" Taken sarcastically, that very statement would become an indictment of the tech industry for failing to maintain a gender balance. I am certain that if the same line had come from a lady, no one would have found it offensive. Now, I am not saying that the comedian in question isn't misogynist. I know nothing about his personality. I am simply trying to play the devil's advocate. I just want to highlight that context and intention matter. Otherwise, Russel Peters would be in jail by now. Also, why I am being downvoted to oblivion for raising a pretty reasonable point of discussion? In my mind, downvotes shouldn't be used as a tool for censorship, or to restrict discussion. It should be used for quality control more than anything else.

jbri 15y ago
> I am certain that if the same line had come from a lady, no one would have found it offensive. Well yes, because context matters. When you have a power disparity, comedy only goes one way - if a member of a majority group makes disparaging remarks about a minority group, that's not funny, it's straight-up bigotry.
- roopeshv 15y ago
  so anyone can make a joke about asian guys, you know because there are over a billion them in this world
yummyfajitas 15y ago
Don't try to interpret this logically. Interpret it as a weird expression of American culture. In the US, we consider racism/sexism to be the worst thing ever. Compare to female promiscuity in India, or perhaps being disloyal to your family (I'm guessing from your username that you might be from India). For example, when I was working in India, I mentioned that my friend's babymomma (the mother of his child, to whom he was not married) was visiting me. The ladies in the office gave me a rather shocked and horrified reaction. In the US, you'd get the same reaction if you made a joke about Gujus. My suggestion is that if you are in the US, play along with it and just accept it as a weird Americanism. In much the same way, Indians constantly asking me about my family is just a funny cultural thing I play along with.