There have been plenty of discussions about both the Cancel and Woke Cultures that have taken over social media. A particular group of people that regularly finds themselves in the crosshairs of both factions are comedians who often ignore political correctness to craft their jokes. It's difficult for a comedian to not offend someone when social media gives them a worldwide audience, and while going viral can help one's career, it can also be detrimental to an entertainer.
Todd Phillips, the director of the blockbuster film Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro, shared his frustrations with the age of woke-ness during an interview with Vanity Fair. Phillips—who also directed movies like Road Trip, Old School, and all of the Hangover films—shared that he's no longer interested in being involved with comedies because he believes people are too sensitive nowadays.
"Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture. There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the f*cking funny guys are like, 'F*ck this sh*t, because I don’t want to offend you,'" Phillips said. "It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right? So you just go, 'I’m out.' I’m out, and you know what? With all my comedies—I think that what comedies in general all have in common—is they’re irreverent."
"So I go, 'How do I do something irreverent, but f*ck comedy?," Phillips continued. "Oh I know, let’s take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.' And so that’s really where [Joker] came from." Do you think "woke culture" is shifting how Hollywood is approaching movie making?