Most standup comedians who have had tomatoes hurled at them by a displeased audience during their act, you can\u2019t help but feel empathy for Kathy Griffin, or any comedian, who inadvertently pisses off their audience. There is a big difference however, between how a comedian bombs on a live stage and how Kathy Griffin bombed with her ill-conceived severed Trump-head photo. Bombing before a live audience solely because you\u2019re not funny, isn\u2019t anywhere near as disturbing as bombing before a global audience because you\u2019re not funny and socially tone deaf, and\/or crassly insensitive to a marginalized or victimized group. At the risk of stating the obvious: a comedian who doesn\u2019t transgress by \u201ccrossing the line\u201d, whatever and wherever that ever-shifting line may be, isn\u2019t a very good comedian. Great comic talents not only cross the line, they move well beyond it into new terrain. Think Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Louis CK and Jerrod Carmichael, to name a handful of superb comedy provocateurs. They have all been unapologetically outspoken, despite offending many people. Also, at one time or another, they have all made even their most ardent fans squirm with jokes that were off the mark.<\/p>\n
Offending people becomes a problem for comedians only when they can\u2019t stand by their material. It is worth noting that Stephen Colbert did not apologize, nor should have, for his recent use of the term \u201ccock holster\u201d in a joke referring to what Donald Trump\u2019s mouth is best suited for in relation to Vladimir Putin. Colbert\u2019s language was crass, but his satiric point was spot on. Knowing that, he was able to firmly defend his comedy ground.<\/p>\n
Bill Maher was not able to do that in the tense aftermath of 911 when he observed, \u201cStaying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it\u2019s not cowardly.\u201d However, in his mea culpa, he admitted no error in judgement: \u201cI offer my apologies to anyone who took what I said wrong.\u201d In other words, \u201cdon\u2019t blame me.\u201d What makes Kathy Griffin\u2019s situation substantively different is that, upon further review, she agrees with her critics that her joke was deeply offensive and without merit. That being the case, she felt compelled to post an on-camera apology, in which she admitted with much embarrassment, \u201cI went way too far.\u201d That doesn\u2019t mean that Kathy Griffin is a bad person, a lousy comedian, or sick in the head; it just means that she made a made a terrible comedy decision, which is humbling, humiliating and potentially career-threatening. Just ask Michael Richards, ex-star of Seinfeld, about stepping over that comedy line with his 2006 comedy routine filled with racial slurs. He announced his standup comedy retirement the following year and has pretty much disappeared from entertainment. Griffin has already felt the heat since, as she has lost advertising endorsements and been fired from NBC.<\/p>\n
Will Kathy Griffin Recover From This \u201cIn Bad Taste\u201d Comedic Humor? <\/b><\/p>\nSusan Z\u2019s Conclusion:<\/h2>\n
Yes. Unlike Richards whose comedy faux pax was one of social and moral indignation, Griffin went too far with a gory visual of the president who is not very well liked but still the president. It will die down and go away after a time but a hard lesson for her on the consequences of \u201cfreedom of speech\u201d.<\/p>\n
Three of Swords: Inverted (Upside Down)<\/b> This card is of mourning a situation or melancholy. I am sure Griffin is definitely feeling this energy for the poor comedic choice of visually assaulting Trump with a gory picture. Since pulled inverted, as I mentioned above, it will lighten up for her and just become a \u201cjoke\u201d remembered being done in bad taste.<\/p>\n
Six of Cups: <\/b> Inverted
\nThis card is forgiveness and looking back with nostalgia. Since inverted, I feel she now wishes she never took it that far but also realizes she has made a personal enemy of Trump, which never fares well. Ask Rosie O\u2019Donnell about that one.<\/p>\n
Eight of Swords: <\/b>
\nThis card is fear keeping you bound from making a decision. I believe this is how Griffin feels at the moment, not knowing quite what she should do to make it right with her audience.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nI am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong. pic.twitter.com\/LBKvqf9xFB<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 30, 2017<\/p><\/blockquote>\n