Pent-Up Prick Energy is Ruining Comedy

Here's what I'm doing about it.

Photo by Collin Sheffield on Unsplash

I think we, as a society, are starting to realize that it’s not okay to be a prick. This has staggered pricks.

The jokes our fathers told at work about women, ethnicities, gays etc. just don’t fly anymore. Good thing.

But for the people who formerly used those jokes as a form of virtue signaling, it represents an existential threat. They must change. And, I think, in large part they do… during working hours. Outside work, though, it’s another story.

Hello Capitalism

This change has created a market for performers whose work channels and profits from the pent-up prick energy. This manifests in countless hours of podcasts, youtube videos, and live comedy where all this low-effort, mean energy can coalesce and generate income.

This energy is a stain on my art and I want it known while I’m still on this good Earth that I am vehemently opposed to it on the following grounds:

1. It’s wrong to be a prick to people.

2. It’s unethical to make a career out of being a prick to people.

3. The work they make is low-effort.

There’s nothing I can do to convince pricks of point number one. But for the rest of us and particularly on the second and third points I can be of service.

Comedy Zola

I started a youtube channel called Comedy Zola where I review stand-up comedy specials and break down comedic work to give insight on how to write.

To my knowledge, no one is critiqueing comedy like this. YouTube is rife with movie review channels but for some reason comedy is allowed to exist largely unexamined.

As you can see from the comments on the Shane Gillis video I posted yesterday, his fans are not fans of mine.

Seth Simons, who writes a great newsletter about labor and abuses in comedy called Humorism, was also kind enough to mention my critique of Tom Segura’s latest special.

In the coming weeks there will be more howto type content like this breakdown of storytelling style comedy as presented by Iliza Shlesinger.

Thanks for being subscribed here. I appreciate it and I hope you’re well out there.