Earlier this week, iconic comedienne Joan Rivers passed away. Though the cause of death currently unknown, it is being speculated that her death was caused by complications from a recent surgery she had.
Rivers is most notable for being a pioneer within the genre of comedy, as she more or less is credited with breaking down the door that was holding women back from entering the field.
On the other hand, Rivers was also notable for some distasteful comments, with a recent example being how she compared her living arrangements with her daughter to being one of the three women locked up for years by Ariel Castro, a remark that led to public and media outrage.
Of course, comedy is subjective: some people will find one joke funnier than another, while others may say that it is rude or just an overall terrible joke. Rivers was normally always in the hot seat for her jokes, and in light of her passing I will say this: I completely disagree with some of her styles of comedy, and think that the overall theme of how we, as a society, do not say anything about how these people were jerks in life when they are dead is completely moronic.
For instance, just think of someone who you really did not like in life that suddenly died. Maybe it was a bully, or an overbearing boss who cared about nothing but his own personal gain. Perhaps it was a family member who just pushed your buttons the wrong way, someone who you never really liked or loved but due to societies idea that we have to “love” family, you put on a mask and just smiled at family gatherings. All of a sudden, though, they pass away, meaning that you no longer have to see them.
We, as a society, tend to say that at this time we should remember this dead person with great nostalgia and sorrow; we remember all those times that we really did not like with this person and say “Oh yeah, so and so was such a great person,” while in reality they were not. Actually, you really do not have much to say about this person other than “I really did not like them.” However, due to societal restraints we cannot actually say anything like this, but instead we have to sit there and say how awesome this jerk was. Instead of saying anything rude and distasteful or, God forbid, make a joke about it, we have to wait 22.3 years to make fun of it, according to “South Park.”
All in all, people need to get over this stigma that you cannot say anything about someone who died because they are not here. Just because Rivers is not here anymore does not take away from the fact that she has said some very offensive and rude comments, some of which make you kind of sit back and think “Wow, I cannot believe she said that.”
Rivers, just like so many other people in this lifetime, was a character that we will remember, and just like every person she had her fair share of both good and bad traits. While I do not want to gloss over her good traits, we cannot forget about the bad ones, and ultimately it is a combination of these traits that made up who Rivers really was as a person. With that being said, maybe in 22.3 years it will be acceptable to make a joke about this whole situation, or perhaps “South Park” may include it in their newest season. Only time will tell.
