Steve Harvey Made A Slavery Joke And The Internet Went Insane

This is a controversial video on a segment featuring comedian Steve Harvey. In this video he makes two statements about slavery that have offended a lot of African Americans. I’ve observed the debate over his comments, and there seems to be several issues which are highlighted in the reactions to this video.

The first issue is what he really meant. Some believed that he was directly insulting the suffering of our shared ancestors, but others did not see it that way. The context of his statements seem to be open to interpretation.

The second issue is a much broader one. It’s the issue of sensitivity and comedy. Some would replace the word sensitivity with censorship. There are discussions about whether or not Steve Harvey should have chosen his words more carefully, or even avoided the topic all together.

I decided not to quote what Harvey said about slavery because I think it’s important to hear Steve Harvey’s comments yourself, rather than read them.

This is just my opinion, but I feel that comedy should never be censored. People should be free to express whatever comes into their heads, and the public has a right to decide if it’s funny or offensive.

There is a joke which was constructed for the pure purpose of erasing the line between comedy and offensive speech. It is a joke that could get comedians arrested or even executed in certain places around the world. It’s called “the aristocrats.” I listened to the joke just once and I did not laugh, but I would never prevent anyone from telling it.

Comedy is the ultimate art of questioning. It points out the absurd in everything, even subjects we dare not joke about. I may be an anarchist for thinking this way, but I believe free thinking is what makes us human.

Here is the video; judge for yourself.