Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg recently sat down for an interview with Pete Hamby on Snapchat’s Good Luck America.
During the interview, Buttigieg was asked to respond to Dave Chappelle and Joker director Todd Phillips’ recent comments surrounding America’s current PC culture specifically in regards to comedy.
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Hamby asked Buttiegieg, “Todd Phillips, who directed a lot of comedy films in the early 2000s, came out a few weeks ago and said, ‘I don’t want to make comedy any more because everyone gets triggered; everyone is offended.'” He added, “There’s also a kind of sub-genre of comedy with Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr who are deliberately trying to be provocative because they are sick of what they think is a culture that is too politically correct.”
Buttigieg responded, “Look, two things are true. One is that part of how comedy works is it challenges our conventions. It challenges our sensitives. And that’s part of what it can contribute.”
He continued, “Another thing that is also true is hurtful things and hateful things often come at us in the form of humor. And we just have to learn how to handle both of those things.”
He continued, “When a piece of art that is out there to challenge conventions does something that is really harmful then I think it’s time to turn it off. But we get to have those debates.”
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Hamby then asked Buttigieg specifically about Chappelle’s recent stand-up routines. He said, “Part of Dave Chappelle’s schtick in the last couple of comedy specials he did was deliberately making fun of transgender people. Should that just be turned off? Should he not have a Netflix deal?”
Buttigieg responded, “I haven’t seen the special. I will say, there comes a point where you are just straight up hurting people. I don’t know what goal you are hoping to achieve.”
He continued, “As much as there’s been a lot of political correctness. There’s also this weird way in which it’s become fashionable to attack political correctness that’s become its own weird correctness out there.”
Buttigieg then stated, “At the end of the day, at the risk of sounding simplistic, I’m just coming at this from the perspective of like helping and hurting. Is what we’re doing every day, whether you are a politician, or a comedian, or an artist, or a business person, or whatever, are you doing more good than harm out there. And if you are not, time for some reflection, and time for some adjustment.”
Hamby would then question Buttigieg about Todd Phillips’ Joker. Buttigieg admitted he has not seen the Joker yet. But he would respond to the media frenzy that created the idea that the film could inspire mass shooting.
“There’s a lot of countries that are exposed to the same video games and movies that we are. And most of them don’t have the kind of violence that we do. I think it’s a cop-out to blame pop culture for violence.”
He then added, “What I will say, is that the culture we produce reflects us. And if you see a dark, dystopian film doing well, it might be because the American people are feeling unsettled, and bothered, and maybe dark in a time like this.”
Buttigieg is no stranger to commenting on pop culture. Back in September the presidential candidate weighed in on rumors that Marvel Studios was looking to cast black actors as Magneto and Professor X.
Buttigieg told TMZ, “I don’t think there is anything about the role that makes it white.” He added, “Look, certainly the actors who portrayed Magneto and Professor X in the past were brilliant, but it’s not because they were white. And it doesn’t have to be them forever.”
What do you make of Pete Buttigieg’s comments regarding Todd Phillips, Dave Chappelle, and the Joker?