I don’t usually like talk shows but I liked Ricky Gervais’ Humanity. It is a funny, and different talk show where he talks about important issues. I first heard of Gervais a few years ago, I learned that he was the screenwriter of The Office. I’m not a huge fan of it like everyone else, it bored me, but it had good moments I’m not going to lie. Then I watched him roast celebrities in Golden Globes, it was really funny because not every comedian has the guts to criticize a famous, and a very rich group of people. Then I learned that he is an atheist and he doesn’t want to have children, and that’s where it got me (especially his views on religion). It’s such a relief to see a comedian who jokes about religion because religion is a lot of people’s weak spot whether Islam or Christianity or any other religion. I have never seen any comedian being very vocal about being an atheist or not wanting children (which may be considered radical views) – so I decided to take a look into his talk show and I really liked it.
In Humanity, Gervais first talks about people getting offended by everyone and everything they say. It’s an important issue nowadays. He slams them. I agree with him, in these days it’s so easy to get offended by someone saying something about women, LGBTQ+, Islam, people of color, animal rights, etc. Of course I want to have my rights as woman and I want to be respected, but I don’t get offended everytime someone says something which is slightly “offensive” to women’s rights because I know that I can’t change their mind. If they’re brainwashed to think a certain way about a certain issue, it’s better if I close my eyes. I know my worth in this world. It’s fine by me that some people don’t think of me as I want them to think as long as they don’t try to put their thoughts to actions via laws, etc. I can’t spend my life being offended by everything I hear. Going back to Gervais, even though getting offended by everything is an issue, I think the joke he made about getting offended was offensive. It was about Caitlyn Jenner (who is a trans person) and he talked about her genitals in a disgusting manner. Even if she’s a famous person, I still found the joke inappropriate. Or maybe I was getting offended and it was his purpose: making me question why I take offense.
Another topic he talked about was him not wanting kids, which I don’t think I can comment because I’m not in the position to think that right now. But the jokes were funny and his reasons of not wanting children seemed reasonable and I’m glad some “radical” views like this are talked about by comedians. The other thing he talked about was Yulin Festival in China – where they eat dogs. It’s horrible and it shouldn’t happen. Gervais claims he is all for animal rights (and I saw from the internet that he is a vegan, which I aspire to be), yet ignores the fact that cows and chickens and pigs and other animals which are usually eaten in West live in horrible conditions too. Yes, maybe it’s not as bad as the dogs in China but it’s still horrible. People in the West seem to focus on Asian or Middle Eastern people for doing “horrible” things yet Western people do a similar thing to a less horrible extent. I guess it’s hard to criticize your culture or country.
To sum it up, I liked Gervais’ Humanity. He expressed ideas which does not speak to the general public, and I liked that. There were some jokes that I didn’t like but maybe I don’t fully understand British humor. You should watch it if you have some free time on your hands and want to have some laugh.
I would reccomend Gervais’ “After Life”. There is now two seasons but a new one is coming. I think you’ll like it.