'White fragility' author says comedy is an 'excuse to get to be racist'

Author Robin DiAngelo delivered a blow to the comedy world in a resurfaced video, declaring that it’s OK to “punch up” by mocking White people but that it’s racist to mock people of color.

"Comedy is, I think, an excuse to get to be racist, right?" the "White Fragility" author said. "I think TV shows like ‘Family Guy’ and ‘South Park’ and maybe a little bit ‘The Simpsons’ allowed White people to be racist self-consciously. Like, ‘I know I’m being racist and therefore it doesn’t count and it’s OK.’ "I don’t think it's benign to do it in a joking way," DiAngelo continued. "And there is a concept in comedy called punching up, not down. So if you want to punch up, there are very different power dynamics and it doesn’t hurt in the same way. It doesn’t invoke a deep, deep centuries-long history of oppression when you poke fun at say, White people. But it’s very, very different when you poke fun at people of color."