Where is the line for what can and cannot be joked about? Recently, there has been a heated debate about what is allowed to laugh at. Can you joke about Nazism? What about racism? Should comedians be able to say the n-word? How bad can a joke be before it becomes offensive? The questions make it boil in the comment fields. Use the word woke, and the debate is on. – I think it’s nice to know that humor can offend. That’s what Linn Skåber says, who believes that humor must be completely free. She thinks it’s fun when humor becomes the basis for further debate. – Then the world moves on. Fears that free humor is threatened Linn Skåber is one of several comedians who have experienced attempts at cancellation. Among other things, there were some who didn’t like her messing around with Nazism. A few years ago, she received threats that she would be exposed as a Nazi, and that someone would publish a picture of her with a Nazi flag. – People should know what I was really doing. Comedians should shoot from the hip, says Linn Skåber. Photo: Robert Rønning / Robert Rønning / news The issue was that Linn Skåber had been on TV with a Nazi flag. It was part of a sketch on the news program Trygdekontoret. Obviously, someone did not like what Skåber had been involved in. The message came in connection with the Black Life Matters demonstrations. Linn Skåber in a sketch on the news program Trygdekontoret, where she jokes about Nazism together with Nils Vogt and Sven Nordin. It provoked reactions. Linn Skåber points out that this is part of what threatens the freedom of humor in Norway today. Some believe that they have the right to decide what can and cannot be joked about. – They tried to scare me, and I can stand that, because I’m getting to be an old lady. What I am afraid of is that it will happen to young people who are frightened into silence. Afraid of losing his job Satirist Markus Gaupås Johansen admits that he feels more that crude jokes can have consequences and that it can affect job offers. He believes the humor has gone from being almost limitless to becoming much tighter. The harsh debate climate affects comedian Markus Gaupås Johansen when he writes jokes. Photo: Robert Rønning / Robert Rønning / news He points to two events that changed a lot. – After the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, it was completely free, he says. Then there were almost no limits to what you could say. A few years later, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in the United States. – It changed the whole atmosphere. Then the questions began about whether it is okay to say the n-word, or whether blackface is legal, says Markus. He notices that the harsh debate climate affects him concretely when he writes jokes. He has started to moderate. As a freelancer, he is dependent on getting new assignments, and he knows the fear of losing his job if he is too late. He believes that several other comedians feel the same way, and fears that this will lead to the humor becoming less sharp. Humor war on TV At the same time that humor is hotly debated, there is now a fierce TV commitment to humor in particular. Seven new comedy programs will entertain us this autumn. The battle for TV viewers is so fierce that the website Kampanje has called it a humor war. Markus Gaupås Johansen (right) and Sturle Pedersen have previously created the satire program 5080-Nyhetskanalen for news. Photo: Julia Marie Naglestad / Julia Marie Naglestad/news Markus Gaupås Johansen is happy that humor is being discussed. Both he and Linn Skåber are well aware that jokes can be far too corny, and that some people feel offended. Both nevertheless emphasize the importance of comedians being allowed to kick freely, also to speak out against the power in society. – Humor’s role is to reflect what is happening around us, and comedy is often important to get as many thoughts and perspectives on the table as possible, says Johansen. Comedian Linn Skåber believes that humor must be free. Photo: Javier Auris He is supported by Linn Skåber. She also believes that it is important that comedians go out on a limb from time to time. – We will probably then be better at commenting on society. Where is the line of humor? Hear the comedians have their say: Jonas Bergland: – It’s just a word Ahmed Mamow: – It’s stupid! The comedian about the other comedians complaining about woke. Linn Skåber: – Comedians should shoot from the hip Markus Gaupås Johansen: – It’s natural that someone gets bumped The comedian meets a young “woker”; Anon Yu Henriksen. Hungry for more cultural content? Check out these cases:
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Woke or offend? Linn Skåber was threatened after a Nazi sketch – news Culture and entertainment
