Some of the newer comedians...
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Some of the "newer comedians" are not popular with everybody. A fair number of people find Joan Rivers' style of humor abrasive and in bad taste. Roseanne Barr, George Carlin, Howie Mandell -- their humor seems rather acid-tongued to those who may have preferred the more gentle humor of, say, a Jack Benny. Christians might point to this passage from Ephesians as an admonition to avoid such abrasiveness: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted ..." (vv. 31-32a)
It needs to be noted, however, that this passage is not an endorsement of a "goody-two-shoes," Pollyanna approach to life. The passage begins by calling for truth, for facing the reality of our anger -- our hostile feelings -- and telling it like it is. It makes some controversial suggestions -- eliminate crime by providing employment. Strong satire, biting political wit does not necessarily imply malice. Even biting humor can still be basically tenderhearted. Remember that the next time you watch Mark Russell.
It needs to be noted, however, that this passage is not an endorsement of a "goody-two-shoes," Pollyanna approach to life. The passage begins by calling for truth, for facing the reality of our anger -- our hostile feelings -- and telling it like it is. It makes some controversial suggestions -- eliminate crime by providing employment. Strong satire, biting political wit does not necessarily imply malice. Even biting humor can still be basically tenderhearted. Remember that the next time you watch Mark Russell.
