Every time I think we've reached Peak Stupid Think Piece the summit gets a little bit higher. The most recent example of this trend of derp? This amazing piece suggesting that the comedic stylings of Amy Schumer are responsible for, well, this:
Just as Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump and other members of the Republican Party regularly disparage people of color and claim they are simply telling the truth, Schumer can use comedy as a protective shroud to deny the harm and hurt caused by her jokes. A joke is considered benign especially when told by a supposed white liberal feminist. We can distance ourselves from the anger, from the harm, from the ideology, and from the hatred of the "extreme," but also find comfort in the same anger, ideology and hatred that is "just a joke."
This rhetoric isn’t just ugly. It contributes to a worldview that justifies a broken immigration system, mass incarceration, divestment from inner city communities, that rationalizes inequality and buttresses persistent segregation and violence. Yet nobody wants to take responsibility for spewing rhetoric that breeds the fear that results in soaring gun purchases, that "inspires" monsters like Dylann Roof to craft a manifesto with deadly consequences.
Amy Schumer isn't responsible for Dylann Roof's massacre, you see. She's just responsible for creating the sort of intellectual environment in which Dylann Roof's massacre is possible.
That sounds totally reasonable.
For more on Amy Schumer's incredibly problematic nature, click here. TRIGGER WARNING: She tells jokes.