EXPERIENCING ZERO TOLERANCE

Rounding out my “Can’t Please All the People Week”, we have the news that I got banned from Youtube. Okay, it’s just one clip, focusing one stand-up joke. Those familiar with my act may have guesses as to which bit got the boot.

Those guesses will be wrong.

The clip is still up as the first bit on my website’s clip page and can be seen in Windows or Quicktime.

I’ll just spacebar down and give folks time to look.

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Are you friggin’ kidding me?

For those who couldn't see the link, it was the Stutter bit. That's the first clip on this page. It's the joke where the fictional Canadian Coalition of Stutterers Stammerers and Similar Victims of Chronic or Conditioned Communication Disability shorten their name to Cuh-chu-ssss-vvv-cuh-cuh-cuh-duh. To be totally upfront, on Youtube the clip went a couple of seconds more to show the receptionist answer the phone: “Hello, cuh-cuh-cuh-fuck-it-I-quit”, so there was an F-bomb in there. But swearing’s allowed on Youtube so that probably didn’t make a difference.

Youtube e-mailed me to tell me the clip was flagged as inappropriate by a viewer, and after reviewing it the site deemed it in violation of their community agreement and terms of usage and removed it.

Upon reviewing those terms and agreements, I believe they’re enforcing the stipulation not to attack any disability, and I guess this is seen as such an attack on people who stutter.

They’re within their rights to do this,of course, but I’m still a bit annoyed. The stutter bit is one I consider on my list of clean, harmless, silly jokes that I don’t think twice about wheeling out. For six years, it’s done just fine.

I spend quite a bit of time fretting over jokes that dance on the line of political incorrectness. I never set out to offend anyone, but sometimes people take something the wrong way and I question whether the laugh I get is worth the discomfort some individuals feel. Maybe, however innocent my intentions, those jokes aren’t worth it.

This incident just makes me give up. It would appear there’s always somebody who doesn’t like what you’re doing, whether you're taking chances or just being silly. May as well just dive in knowing that, and play to the people who get it. Screw it, I think it’s time to bring back the Auschwitz bit.

I wrote an e-mail to Youtube just to let them know I disagreed with their decision. That won’t change anything, but it felt worthwhile anyway.

As for the one who flagged the clip in the first place, if you’re reading, I didn’t mean to offend anyone. Sorry.

J-j-j-j-just a j-j-j--joke (yes, very childish, I know. Whatever. It’s been that kind of week.).