Jerry Sadowitz cancelled

Stuckfast

Can anyone spot the contradiction in this quote from the venue manager?

"The Pleasance is a venue that champions freedom of speech and we do not censor comedians' material. 

"While we acknowledge that Jerry Sadowitz has often been controversial, the material presented at his first show is not acceptable and does not align with our values. 

"This type of material has no place on the festival and the Pleasance will not be presenting his second and final show."

I wonder what he did or said that was so bad? Apart from getting his knob out obviously.

Sassafras

Why go to see a known controversial comedian if you're easily offended?

sweepy

Also one who got pulled for spilling the beans on Saville

Cols

Sassafras said:

Why go to see a known controversial comedian if you're easily offended?

This.  Anyone going to a Jerry Sadowitz performance should know that he’s going to be gratuitously offensive.  It’s kind of his thing.

I suspect a few people might have deliberately gone out of their way to be offended at him in order to get his gig pulled.

scrumhalf

"The Pleasance is a venue that champions freedom of speech"... except for speech that we don't like.

Welcome to the Soviet Union. 

Hootsmon

Art is being slowly strangled to death......book burning is just further down the road

Grangousier

The interesting thing is that I've seen no account so far of exactly what this offensive material was. If it was a fifteen minute bit about the joys of noncery in extreme detail I wonder if that would change anyone's opinion. 

(I have no idea, I just invented something that anyone might find offensive. I agree that someone going to a Sadowitz show and then complaining like that has missed the point. Like going to an aquarium and moaning that it's just a bunch of fish. Well, yes.)

ICBM

sweepy said:

Also one who got pulled for spilling the beans on Saville

Point of order: Savile. Easy to remember... the correct spelling contains the word 'vile'.

Sorry, being very pedantic but it's something that always niggles me for no rational reason! (I have no relatives named Saville or anything like that.)


And yes, anyone going to a Sadowitz show and finding his material offensive was clearly naive.

BlueStrat

Hootsmon said:

Art is being slowly strangled to death......book burning is just further down the road

We’ve had the book burnings, the translator murders, bookshop fire bombings and  yesterday they almost succeeded in murdering the author. 

The bigots are winning

Funkfingers

If the Pleasance Theatre seats 320 and JS tickets cost roughly twenty five quid (including booking fee), the manager who cancelled the second performance just casually blew £8k - some of which was not his to begin with.

Any entertainment venue that can afford to do this to cover its arse against negative publicity has no need of subsidy from the tax payer. 

Let's slash the seats!

RobDavies

Apparently, Jerry referred to Sunak as the P word, and said the reason that the economy was fucked was because it was run by ‘women and blacks’. 

Now, I’m not sure of the context of these statements… but there are many people on SM right now, protesting about free speech etc.  They are the same people who’d have cancelled Manning for using the same kind of language. 

So gawd only knows what to think. 

chillidoggy

Either you have free speech, or you don’t. There’s no in-between.

euan

Saying your show is “not for everyone” doesn’t give you carte blanche permission to use racist slurs and get your knob out and wave it into front of a female audience member. 

There is an easily walkable line between offensive and abusive in comedy and anyone who tips into the later is lazy.  

Sporky

chillidoggy said:

Either you have free speech, or you don’t. There’s no in-between.

Where does that leave libel and harassment?

Do you have to let anyone who wants to rant at you into your house to do it? 

roberty

Probably black and Asian people working at the venue. Would you subject your staff to racially abusive jokes?

chillidoggy

Sporky said:

chillidoggy said:

Either you have free speech, or you don’t. There’s no in-between.

Where does that leave libel and harassment?

Do you have to let anyone who wants to rant at you into your house to do it? 

Harassment is a different kettle of fish than listening to some old twat spouting shite on a stage, and so is letting someone into your house to rant at you. What I'm saying is that free speech is just that - free. Not restricted. Not, "Well, you can have free-speech, but you can't mention this, this, this and this." In that case, it's not free speech, is it?

Oh, and libel is written. I think "slander" is the word you're looking for.

Sassafras

Who decides what is and isn't acceptable?
I don't want it decided for me.

BlueStrat

Free speech isn’t unlimited; the well used example of shouting ‘Fire!’ In a crowded theatre. 

Spouting racist bile or Neo Nazi hate or ISIS  religious venom surely shouldn’t be permitted?

Cols

RobDavies said:

Apparently, Jerry referred to Sunak as the P word, and said the reason that the economy was fucked was because it was run by ‘women and blacks’. 

Now, I’m not sure of the context of these statements… but there are many people on SM right now, protesting about free speech etc.  They are the same people who’d have cancelled Manning for using the same kind of language. 

So gawd only knows what to think. 

That’s it?

Sadowitz has a reputation going back to the 80s for offensive satirical comedy which frequently and exuberantly pisses over the line of good taste.  This is a man who opened an act in Canada by beaming at the audience and saying “Good evening, moosefuckers!” (and subsequently got punched for it).

Seriously, this is akin to going to a strip club and complaining that there were ladies walking around with their naughty bits out.

DrCornelius

chillidoggy said:

Either you have free speech, or you don’t. There’s no in-between.

Free speech doesn’t include hate apeech

chillidoggy

Sassafras said:

Who decides what is and isn't acceptable?
I don't want it decided for me.

I think it may be too late for that, there's plenty of people out there deciding what is and what isn't acceptable.

Maybe it's time to drop the word "Free" from "free speech"?