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Entertainment

05th Nov 2017

SNL’s routine involving Harvey Weinstein and the holocaust upset a lot of viewers

The online reaction was instant and powerful.

Rory Cashin

Too soon?

The problem – or perhaps, some would argue, the power – with comedy is that it requires people to be constantly pushing boundaries with what they can and can’t make fun of.

If everyone remained within a pre-defined standard set of taste and remaining inoffensive, some of the greatest comedians in the world would’ve found their wings clipped before they even began.

With that in mind, considering how fresh the wound is with the whole Harvey Weinstein case, does Larry David making jokes about it go too far?

Admittedly, unlike the James Corden routine from a few weeks back, David doesn’t make fun of Harvey or the situation itself but deflects aim to the fact that it is painting the Jewish community in a bad light.

However, from that point on, he ricochets into making several jokes about dating while in a concentration camp, and the once-laughter filled audience quickly recedes into near-silence once they realise what direction David is taking this routine.

The same was the same online, when the overwhelming Twitter reaction (which you can see here) were unimpressed with the comedian’s line of jokes.

So what do you think? Should David be allowed to make jokes about everything and anything? Or are there some topics that should be kept off the table, either in the short term (like Weinstein) or permanently (like the Holocaust)?

Clip via Saturday Night Live