where’s the interview w/ andy samberg where the interviewer asks about why there’s no jokes made around holt being gay and andy’s face twitches like “don’t do it.” and the interviewer goes on like “we live in such a weird PC culture though!” and andy laughs so uncomfortably i need it for science
The ironic thing is, there are plenty of jokes which involve him being gay. But it just doesn’t register as humor to those people if it’s not making fun of him for it, or using his sexuality as the actual punchline. A show actually respects its characters (for the most part) while still managing to provide top-notch humor and all a lot of people have to say is complaining about “pc culture”
i don’t understand how anyone who’s watched the episodes where ray holt pretends to be a hetero would ever believe that there are “no jokes about him being gay.”
because that’s not the problem. the problem is that the jokes about him being gay are specifically for an lgbtq audience. they’re jokes that heteros don’t understand because for once, we’re not the punchline like we usually are. we’re not being made fun of in a way that tears us down. they’re jokes about the absurdity of our existence. of having to fake being straight, even though a lot of us are actually really bad at it, and having straight people actually believe you.
the other really great example is that one joke ray holt makes in the first season, about how the hardest thing about being a gay black police officer in the nypd is the discrimination. that joke was funny for so many reasons, and yet, not a single straight person really got it when i watched it with them. it feels like there are no jokes because the jokes aren’t intended for straight/homophobic people, where the punchline isn’t all about how they relate to us. it’s about how we relate to them for once, and that’s the greatest thing.
other show’s lgbt jokes are “loltranswomen” or “lol flamboyant gay men”
brooklyn nine nine’s lgbt jokes are “we got married as quickly as we could bc we were worried they’d repeal it” and then footage of Kevin and Raymond not letting the officient finish his sentence before they say “I do”
me: [wakes up] me: brooklyn nine-nine is a show that airs on fox and stars two black men
in leading positions, one of whom is the captain of the precinct and is gay but is never made fun of for this by the characters or by the show. the other is physically intimidating but is a loving father and the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet. there are also two latina women as police detectives who are nuanced and fleshed out and never conform to stereotypes. all three starring women have totally different personalities but support each other through everything. the show repeatedly calls out racism, homophobia, sexism, and (on one occasion) transphobia. the ‘nice guys finish last’ trope was smashed to pieces in the first season with said ‘nice guy’ owning up to and apologizing for his behavior. jake peralta (who should be your typical White Dude Lead) is explicitly a feminist and once punched a homophobe in the face. what a miracle. i will never forget this gift thank you mike and dan
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