I found Rock's remarks about why he no longer performs atcollege campuses most illuminating:
What do you make of the attempt to bar Bill Maherfrom speaking at Berkeley for hisriff on Muslims?
Well, I love Bill, but I stopped playing colleges, and thereason is because theyre way too conservative.
In their political views?
Not in their political views not like theyre votingRepublican but in their social views and their willingness not tooffend anybody. Kids raised on a culture of Were not going tokeep score in the game because we dont want anybody to lose. Orjust ignoring race to a fault. You cant say the black kid overthere. No, its the guy with the red shoes. You cant even beoffensive on your way to being inoffensive.
When did you start to notice this?
About eight years ago. Probably a couple of tours ago. It wasjust like, This is not as much fun as it used tobe. I remember talking to George Carlin before he diedand him saying the exact same thing.
Provocative comedians avoiding the college scene? The Foundationfor Individual Rights in Education's Susan Kruth explains why this is a lamentable development:
Just as college campuses are meant to be marketplacesof ideas generally, they should be places where comedians andother performers are especially able to play with new acts. Itsdisappointing to see that this is not so, and that the atmospherefor freedom of speech and comedy in particular on campuses hasgotten bad enough that noted comedians are avoiding studentaudiences altogether. That is a real loss for themafter all,everybody could use a laugh.
Anyone who thinks that there are no consequences for trigger warnings, speech codes, free speech zones, crackdowns on taco night, or general feelings-protection at the modern American universityshould consider Rock's comments. University administrators areteaching students that it is proper for them to crave insulationfrom contrarianism and controversy. The result is a kind of defacto censorship, where someone like Rocka worthwhile speaker,whether one agrees with him or nothas little incentive to sharehis perspective.
What better way is there to drain universities of theirintellectual potency than to dissuade all interesting people fromsetting foot on a college campus?
Travelling is my life
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