This is not to say that all comics are bigots, not at all, but rather that commercial interests influence and enforce such expectations of bigotry with an aim of furthering the commercial interests rather than benefiting comedy or bringing to the fore and profiting the better and more talented comedians.

This systemic problem could be positively impacted and changed if people like yourself and me and all other comedy-fans who find bigotry offensive were more confident in standing up and actually speaking out about the problems, were more confident in cutting against the ‘it’s just a joke, geeze, lighten up already’ and ‘don’t be such a b*tch about it’ responses normally thrown at people who don’t enjoy misogyny or homophobia or any other bigotry when we go out. We shouldn’t have to ‘expect’ bigotry, or accept being offended and made uncomfortable as ‘entertainment’. Oppression is a very real, very serious, and for most people who fall into one or more minorities, very traumatic constant in our lives – and I’ve yet to ever come across a situation of someone having been raped and finding it in any way amusing, much less funny.