CAN HE SAY THAT? I say what I want to say about The Simpsons, standup comedy, George Carlin, censorship, Todd Glass, free speech, and more! So much saying!

There are more words in this piece than just the ones in the subject line. That's the "and more" of it all!

Apr 10, 2025

Dear friends,

Thank you for being here!
I’m grateful that you are you AND that you are here!
And now, the latest entry in my project wherein I examine a bit of comedy I love that is fun on the surface AND upon further reflection might offer more depth BENEATH that surface.

The project began with a piece about a Mitch Hedberg joke, and today’s gem comes from a Simpsons episode (“Tennis the Menace,” Season 12, Episode 12, written by Ian Maxtone-Graham).

There’s a talent show at the Springfield Retirement Castle, and a standup comedian is on stage saying:

"You know what I can't open? Cabinets!"

Everyone laughs and then Grandpa Simpson turns to a friend and says,
"Can he SAY that?"

This is a joke I think about a lot.

There are a lot of comedians saying things like "you can't say anything anymore."

And it’s not true.

Of course, there's the letter of the law AND then there's the spirit of the law.
What's literally being expressed might be different from what is being communicated that underlies what's being expressed.
There are the lines, and there is reading between them.

And I want to make clear that when someone says "you can't say anything anymore," I disagree with the LETTER of what they're saying AND the spirit.

You. CAN. Say. Anything. In. Comedy.

There was a time when George Carlin and Lenny Bruce went to jail because of the things that they said on stage. They said what they wanted, speaking truth to power, and they were punished by the government for it. THAT'S censorship.

Some comedians now don't want to speak truth to power; many just want to speak slurs to audiences.

One of my favorite comedians, Todd Glass, has put it like this, basically:

"Yes, you CAN say anything. But what do you want to say?"

That's my memory of what he said, paraphrased, and here he is directly discussing the topic in video form:

You can’t say anything?

Today in the United States, no comedian is going to jail for what they're expressing.

Sadly, the US government DOES seem to be targeting people for expressing ideas. Not comedians, but rather folks like international student Rumeysa Ozturk at Tufts whose only "crime" seems to be that she wrote an op-ed in the school paper, using the freedom of speech that everyone in the US is meant to share.

In this article, her brother Asim says, “Apart from expressing her opinion within the framework of freedom of expression without engaging in any provocative or aggressive action regarding the Palestine issue, she has not taken any action.”

"He believes she is being targeted for her beliefs," says the article, and with all the information available, that seems to be an accurate representation of the facts.

This is sad.
This is scary.
AND this is not what most comedians are complaining about when they say "you can't say anything anymore." Many just want to use shocking language without people responding by being shocked.

This also isn't new.

My friend Luisa Diez posted this to Instagram in 2019:

luisadieznuts

A post shared by @luisadieznuts

Her caption: "stop freaking out. none of this is new, comedy is declared dead every few years, criticism and adaptability have always been part of the deal with comedy: don’t get soft in your old age/success. ❤️❤️❤️ source: @ classicshowbiz"

If you look at the post Luisa shared, particularly of note is this headline you can see if you scroll:

"Audiences too thin-skinned nowadays, comedian claims"

And that's from 1958.

1958.

The good old nowadays.

There are similar headlines and articles in that post that go back to 1915, even.

So, as long as there have been envelopes, comedians have been pushing them.

(You know what I can’t open? Envelopes. And I CAN say that.)

Yes of course, sometimes comedians or other artists may use certain language and address topics that can make some audiences uncomfortable, which reminds me of this line that has been attributed to many (Lucille Clifton, here), about the role of art, journalism, religious sermons, and more:

“I come to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.”

And here's a famous line from George Carlin that seems relevant to this discussion as well, specifically about his role as a provocative comedian:

"'I like to bother people,' he said, adding that he tried to figure out 'where the line is drawn, and then deliberately cross it and drag the audience with you. And have them happy that you did it.'"

Having them happy you did it seems key, for comedy.

Some forget that part, while they’re afflicting the afflicted.

The thing is, we are of course all afflicted in some way.
Some of us more saliently so at times, though.

For example, some people are arrested for using their freedom of speech.
Others are blogged about by other people using THEIR freedom of speech.

This is a real cabinet of worms I’ve opened here. Can I do that?

You can say what you want.

What do you want to say?

And now, because I like sharing jokes of mine, here are some jokes of mine!

A) is for A new Aphorism I came up with:

Speak softly, and carry a working microphone.

B) is for Becoming who you are:

THEM: ”How did you find your voice?”
ME: “By talking a lot.”

C) is for Concern for the state of the world:

A man goes to his spiritual guide and says he's concerned about the state of the world.

His teacher says, "My advice is simple: the great Jesus is in town speaking tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up."

The man bursts into tears and says, "But rabbi…I AM Jesus."

End credits roll.

Post credit sequence:

The rabbi responds, “Oh OK, then you should go see Pagliacci the Clown.”

And Jesus did, and he had a great time.

And that’s about it from ME. How about from YOU?
Here are some questions!
Feel free to answer in the comments or respond as an email or communicate telepathically if you can do that!
Your choice!

1) How are you doing? What is new and good? How is your heart?
2) You can say anything. What do you want to say?
3) What is one way that YOU comfort the afflicted?
4) Any thoughts about cabinets, envelopes, or other?
5) How are you doing NOW?

Arty Har-Hars

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