Yes, I Can Say That

April 20, 2020
Comedian Gold addresses censorship, freedom of speech, and telling jokes in the social media age in this amusing, f-bomb–filled book. The author has a clear message for those engaged in cancel culture: “stop taking yourself so seriously.” Gold—a six-foot-two Jewish lesbian from New Jersey—writes about being bullied as a kid in the 1970s, an experience that sharpened her sense of humor, then discusses comedy today, during a time of heightened sensitivity in which she argues the “so-called progressive left” is silencing comedians: “people have begun to allow themselves to get triggered any time a marginalized person or group is even mentioned in a comedy bit.” Gold highlights comedians who fought against censors (George Carlin, Richard Pryor) and entertainingly honors “brash, outspoken” female comics such as Jean Carroll and Joan Rivers, who spoke candidly about motherhood and marriage in their comedy. Gold knocks Trump (“People like Trump take jokes about themselves as attacks”) and tells people to avoid “knee-jerk” responses on social media: “Stop reacting to every ping on your phone. Read a fucking book.” Gold’s defense of comedy, filled with great jokes and stories of censored comics, is a reminder that freedom of speech is no laughing matter.

May 1, 2020
Mixing memoir with manifesto, a veteran comic argues that when comedians' freedom of speech is threatened, the whole culture suffers. It's terrifying out there right now for stand-ups," warns Gold at the beginning of this funny yet scattershot book. With a president threatened by humor--and who considers it an enemy along with the expression of free speech in general--the author proceeds to show how cancel culture, social media campaigns, trigger warnings, thin skins, and what she clearly sees as the downside of political correctness have made comedians fear for their careers if they say anything that happens to offend anyone. "The best comedy lives on the edge of what's acceptable," she writes. "Jokes are nourished by tension; laughter is a release. Sharing laughs with others creates a sort of nonthreatening intimacy that increases our identification with one another." True enough, but Gold's argument needs a tighter focus and a sharper edge. The author delivers more of a rambling sprawl than most comedians would attempt onstage, mixing reminiscences of what it was like to grow up tall, Jewish, and gay with lists of comics who have challenged convention, along with page after page of some of their bits. Many of those bits work better than Gold's own writing here, which could have benefitted from a stronger edit. Her tributes to heroes such as Lenny Bruce ("the Jesus Christ of the First Amendment as it relates to comedy") and Joan Rivers ("my idol...the funniest and most fearless of women") give credit where it's due, and her relating of the price paid by comedians who have run afoul of the culture police is correct in its suggestion of overreaction. However, she fails to offer more of a prescription than "Lighten up, people!" Eventually, her argument loses steam. A book that proceeds from a worthy concept but becomes padded and meandering in execution.

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May 15, 2020
Emmy-winning comedian, television writer, and producer Gold explores the trials and tribulations of comedians in the age of endless "triggers" and "safe spaces." Taking on both liberal and conservative oversensitivity, Gold makes an impassioned and cogent case for why comedy must not be censored or reined in. Arguing that no comedian should apologize for a good joke, no matter how edgy, Gold points out that jokes about stereotypes can be funny, delving into a stereotype she's intimately familiar with?that of the overbearing Jewish mother?to examine the root of the stereotype and explain why it's OK to laugh at jokes centered around it. Stand-up comedy is a tough business, with comedians often drawing from their personal experience to craft jokes, making it all the more frustrating when the audience feels that they have the right to give harsh feedback. Gold also explores the history of political humor, and limns the difficulties comedians face from the current occupant of the Oval Office. A powerful, and powerfully funny, argument in support of how vital free speech is to comedy and comedy is to us.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)