Current Events > Former SNL writer pulled from stage because his jokes were deemed too offensive

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https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2018/12/01/student-organizers-boot-snl-writer-from-stage-during-standup-routine-for-jokes-deemed-offensive-2/

Saturday Night Live writer and comedian Nimesh Patel was pulled from the stage by event organizers after telling jokes that were criticized as racist and homophobic during his performance at cultureSHOCK: Reclaim, an event held by Columbia Asian American Alliance on Friday night.

Patel, 32, was the first Indian-American writer for SNL, and has since been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing. Patel has previously performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers and opened for comedians such as Chris Rock.

During the event, Patels performance featured commentary on his experience living in a diverse area of New York Cityincluding a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhoodwhich AAA officials deemed inappropriate. Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because no one looks in the mirror and thinks, this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it.

About 30 minutes into Patels set, members of AAA interrupted the performance, denounced his jokes about racial identities and sexual orientation, and provided him with a few moments for closing remarks. Compared to his other jokes, ones specifically targeting sexual orientation audibly receive less laughter from the crowd.

Patel pushed back on the officials remarks, and said that while he stood in solidarity with Asian American identities, none of his remarks were offensive, and he was exposing the audience to ideas that would be found in the real world. Before he could finish, Patels microphone was cut from off-stage, and he proceeded to leave.

cultureSHOCK, an annual charity showcase featuring a fashion show, productions by various student groups and a famous performer, aims to provide a platform for Asian American artistic expression and breakthrough harmful stereotypes.

In an official statement released on Dec. 3, AAA stated that while they acknowledge that discomfort and safety can co-exist, the discomfort Patel caused with his remarks and overall performance opposed AAA and cultureSHOCKs mission to celebrate, empower, and explore identity in a safe space. They apologized for inviting him to perform at the event.

Patel could not immediately be reached for comment.

Adam Warren, CC 22, was in the audience Saturday night. Warren said that AAA made the right decision to remove Patel from the stage due to the nature of his jokes, which contradicted the sensitive nature of the event itself.

The message they were trying to send with the event was opposite to the jokes he was making, and using peoples ethnicity as the crux of his jokes could be funny but still offensive...He definitely wasnt the most crass comedian Ive ever heard but for the event it was inappropriate, Warren said.

However, audience member Elle Ferguson, BC 22, said that while comedians can push the boundaries of social culture, she had heard similar jokes before and did not find them offensive.

While what some of the things that he said might have been a bit provoking to some of the audience, as someone who watches comedy a lot, none of them were jokes that I hadnt heard before and none of them were jokes that elicited such a response in my experience, Ferguson said. [AAA] should have talked to him beforehand especially because comedy is known for being ground-breaking and for pushing boundaries.

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For Sofia Jao, BC 22, problems with the performance resided not in the set, but with Patels closing remarks.

I really dislike when people who are older say that our generation needs to be exposed to the real world. Obviously the world is not a safe space but just accepting that it's not and continuing to perpetuate the un-safeness of it is saying that it cant be changed, said Jao. When older generations say you need to stop being so sensitive, its like undermining what our generation is trying to do in accepting others and making it safer.

Comedy is dying guys, fuck SJWs
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The concept of a comedian having to watch his or her mouth is fucking idiotic. I'm indifferent about most things but I'll defend comedy...standup especially, to the fucking death.

People want comedy that they agree with these days. That they can clap to.
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*shrug* He didn't read his audience correctly.
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AdviceMan posted...

People want comedy that they agree with these days. That they can clap to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqqwTgk8ri0" data-time="

Kineth posted...

*shrug* He didn't read his audience correctly.

It's not like the audience was booing him or anything. It was the event organizers that decided it was too much and kicked him off.
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the one joke they mentioned doesnt seem bad at all
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Get your maga shit out of my face. That's literally the same thing. It's a comedic meme that is literally only fun for people who agree with it
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Rimmer_Dall posted...

It's not like the audience was booing him or anything. It was the event organizers that decided it was too much and kicked him off.

So the people who invited him and were going to pay him didn't like the job he was doing. *shrug*
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voldothegr8 posted...

Obviously the world is not a safe space but just accepting that it's not and continuing to perpetuate the un-safeness of it is saying that it cant be changed, said Jao.

Yeah because it can't be changed, scumbags will always exist. Either ignore them or keep fighting this ridiculous losing battle.
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supercrono posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Obviously the world is not a safe space but just accepting that it's not and continuing to perpetuate the un-safeness of it is saying that it cant be changed, said Jao.

Yeah because it can't be changed, scumbags will always exist. Either ignore them or keep fighting this ridiculous losing battle.

It just sends shitty people into hiding. Don't want assholes to be openly assholes so you can pick them out and cut them out of your life?

Yikes. This is not a good precedent to set.
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Goddamn I hate the world.
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Did they at least do that thing where the long cane reaches from off-stage and hooks him?
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AdviceMan posted...

People want comedy that they agree with these days. That they can jazz hands to.

ftfy
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SSJCAT posted...

the one joke they mentioned doesnt seem bad at all

yeah youd think theyd support that view actually (being born gay), isnt that the proper understanding especially from the LGBT pov?
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AdviceMan posted...

Get your maga shit out of my face. That's literally the same thing. It's a comedic meme that is literally only fun for people who agree with it

So was the whole "Change" campaign. But of course you weren't going to mention that were you?
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Nice one, alt account.
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TheApexPredator posted...

AdviceMan posted...

Get your maga shit out of my face. That's literally the same thing. It's a comedic meme that is literally only fun for people who agree with it

So was the whole "Change" campaign. But of course you weren't going to mention that were you?

Why would I mention something that is not in the scope of what I'm talking about? I swear, you people...
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I remember when outrage over comedians used to be when they were actually controversial. How it's just . . . I don't even know what the fuck it is.
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voldothegr8 posted...

Comedy is dying guys, fuck SJWs

Maybe people should learn to tell inoffensive jokes.
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TheRealDill2000 posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Comedy is dying guys, fuck SJWs

Maybe people should learn to tell inoffensive jokes.

Maybe weaklings shouldn't go to comedy shows outside of Jeff Dunham and his crap?

SaithSayer posted...

TheRealDill2000 posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Comedy is dying guys, fuck SJWs

Maybe people should learn to tell inoffensive jokes.

Maybe weaklings shouldn't go to comedy shows outside of Jeff Dunham and his crap?

Maybe employees should follow their employer's standards.
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His joke is offensive to the intersectional sjw oligarchs because it made fun of their hierarchal privilege-checkers.
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Kineth posted...

SaithSayer posted...

TheRealDill2000 posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Comedy is dying guys, fuck SJWs

Maybe people should learn to tell inoffensive jokes.

Maybe weaklings shouldn't go to comedy shows outside of Jeff Dunham and his crap?

Maybe employees should follow their employer's standards.

If you hire a comedian to do a show, you at least watch his material and decide if he's a proper fit.

If someone were to book Jimmy Carr to play at a nursing home, that'd be their fuck up completely.

Here's a response from one of the organizers:

https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2018/12/04/spilling-the-tea-on-nimesh-patel-2/
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good. I hate racists that use "comedy" as a excuse to be racists
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SaithSayer posted...

Kineth posted...

SaithSayer posted...

TheRealDill2000 posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

Comedy is dying guys, fuck SJWs

Maybe people should learn to tell inoffensive jokes.

Maybe weaklings shouldn't go to comedy shows outside of Jeff Dunham and his crap?

Maybe employees should follow their employer's standards.

If you hire a comedian to do a show, you at least watch his material and decide if he's a proper fit.

If someone were to book Jimmy Carr to play at a nursing home, that'd be their fuck up completely.

Someone fucking up doesn't mean they can't correct their mistake.
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Yeah, don't hire comedians to safe spaces unless their name is Jim Gaffigan or that lady from Nanette.

Like I don't think people realize that climbing through comedy is tough, you can't become a famous comedian doing clapter sets. Eventually someone will call you out for not being funny. Getting to any level of fame is difficult, and pointing out the fact that OscarSoWhite really was primarily FOR black people and ignored underrepresentation of literally everyone else, while unoriginal, is arguably true. I'm more offended by the fact that he used such hacky material, but their perspective cements what I already thought. They wanted a comedian that they could AGREE with and CLAP to. That's the event that they wanted. And if you're gonna do that make it painfully clear early to the comedian, because you're in for a bad time with 95% of comedians.
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Brian Regan or Ben Bailey would be fine for this sort of gig.

Wait, what's wrong with that joke?
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yea its starting to sound like he just told some jokes that didnt land, and then blamed it on his snowflake audience and started a cringe-fest of berating the crowd and singling out people in the audience.

i wouldve cut his mic too tbh
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voldothegr8 posted...

During the event, Patels performance featured commentary on his experience living in a diverse area of New York Cityincluding a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhoodwhich AAA officials deemed inappropriate. Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because no one looks in the mirror and thinks, this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it.

Patel had a fair point.

I've been gay for years and can confidently tell you that homosexual black men are poster boys for discrimination and are often treated as the bottom of the privilege totem pole in western gay male culture. Like it's an unspoken truth. Depending on the conditions in which they grew up and where, they can end up living downtrodden lives, particularly if they grew up in homophobic households (which is not uncommon).

The "safe, clean, fabulous" stereotypical gay lifestyles portrayed in media are only relatable to the privileged middle class and wealthy. Gays who grow up in underprivileged areas like violent ghettos and rural boonies typically do not have those polished experiences. They often have a much more difficult time surviving until they escape areas loaded with casual bigotry. In the west, that is unfortunately where many gay black men grow up until they're independent enough to move to more accepting locations.

It's also commonly known that gay black men are some of the least preferred partners in western dating (partly because of fear of stereotypical cultural differences). These stigmatizing trends can lead to less sympathetic support of gay black men and harder dating hurdles compared to other races of gay men. It can be especially depressing for them when a large portion of their dates just lead to them being used as a racially "exotic" hook up or "BBC" fetish fuel...
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voldothegr8 posted...

During the event, Patels performance featured commentary on his experience living in a diverse area of New York Cityincluding a joke about a gay, black man in his neighborhoodwhich AAA officials deemed inappropriate. Patel joked that being gay cannot be a choice because no one looks in the mirror and thinks, this black thing is too easy, let me just add another thing to it.

What the fuck? This is a pro-gay and pro-black joke. Have SJWs turned into robots incapable of detecting humor?
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All that audience wants to hear is ragging on Barnold Bloompfh
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It's not really about people being offended, it's that the jokes were not appropriate for this event. It's his job to read that sort of thing. Know your fucking audience.

And that bullshit about "exposing them to the real world" was ridiculously condescending and just shows how clueless he was
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Why comedy is so dead these days, thanks SJWs
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AdviceMan posted...

People want comedy that they agree with these days. That they can clap to.

this

And how the fuck are you gonna pull the "sorry I'm from another generation" shit when you're 31
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Actually shocked that the guy is Indian. I mean usually stories like this are for white guys.
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voldothegr8 posted...

Adam Warren, CC 22, was in the audience Saturday night. Warren said that AAA made the right decision to remove Patel from the stage due to the nature of his jokes, which contradicted the sensitive nature of the event itself.

The message they were trying to send with the event was opposite to the jokes he was making, and using peoples ethnicity as the crux of his jokes could be funny but still offensive...He definitely wasnt the most crass comedian Ive ever heard but for the event it was inappropriate, Warren said.

However, audience member Elle Ferguson, BC 22, said that while comedians can push the boundaries of social culture, she had heard similar jokes before and did not find them offensive.

While what some of the things that he said might have been a bit provoking to some of the audience, as someone who watches comedy a lot, none of them were jokes that I hadnt heard before and none of them were jokes that elicited such a response in my experience, Ferguson said. [AAA] should have talked to him beforehand especially because comedy is known for being ground-breaking and for pushing boundaries.

Fair, next.

And let's not assume these people are lying about being accustomed to standup material on these topics either. He was bombing, they mercifully pulled him, end of story.
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LightHawKnight posted...

Actually shocked that the guy is Indian. I mean usually stories like this are for white guys.

Apparently a large portion of his jokes were about black people for some reason
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This is why almost every decent comedian has stopped doing colleges or events run by them.
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eston posted...

And how the fuck are you gonna pull the "sorry I'm from another generation" shit when you're 31

To be fair, a 32 year old might as well be an alien compared to a 20 year old, and that's been the case for millenia
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codey posted...

eston posted...

And how the fuck are you gonna pull the "sorry I'm from another generation" shit when you're 31

To be fair, a 32 year old might as well be an alien compared to a 20 year old, and that's been the case for millenia

lol maybe if your a manchild who is still playing smash in their mid 20's totally disconnected from the people above you
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Allanon23 posted...

This is why almost every decent comedian has stopped doing colleges or events run by them.

Because they don't know how to read an audience?
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Roxborough4Ever posted...

codey posted...

eston posted...

And how the fuck are you gonna pull the "sorry I'm from another generation" shit when you're 31

To be fair, a 32 year old might as well be an alien compared to a 20 year old, and that's been the case for millenia

lol maybe if your a manchild who is still playing smash in their mid 20's totally disconnected from the people above you

Except I said 20? Its about having life experiences, which most 20 year olds simply don't have.
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eston posted...

Allanon23 posted...

This is why almost every decent comedian has stopped doing colleges or events run by them.

Because they don't know how to read an audience?

Being a shit audience =/= the comedians fault.
There's a reason they also don't play Amish events. (Well, more than just not being welcome to.)
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