Jonas Polsky

by Jonas Polsky

As everyone, including my grandmother and Jedi ghosts now know; I wrote an explanation of how taping a comedy show impacts the artist last night, which Patton shared.

And that thunderous sound you heard was me being trampled by the internet.

It was easily the most read article I’ve ever written, and the response showed that. I was very careful to explain why the woman taping was made to feel uncomfortable, and not justify her being called names, specifically Patton pointing out that she may have had a number of chins that was higher than the norm.

The responses I’ve gotten, which have not stopped even this morning have ranged from “brilliant” to “how dumb are you?”.

Worth noting, BRAD BIRD commented. Brad Bird, of Pixar fame and writer/creator of “THE INCREDIBLES.” So I can go ahead and just die, I don’t need to talk to anyone, or do anything else, ever.

But something else very important happened, larger than the actual issue. I was exposed to the kind of attention celebrities receive on the internet, and I don’t like it one bit. People would sink their teeth into any one aspect of my debate, and act as if that nullified every other point I’d made.

“Yeah but, you don’t need to say someone has a double chin.”

“Yeah but, your explanation of how creating art works was condescending.”

“Yeah but, one time Louis CK asked an audience if they’d taped him, cause he wanted it.”

Well, that’s why I wrote it specifically about Patton and not all comedians, all the time, ever. It’s a mess of responses like that, or worse. People will just say anything negative about it. Or frankly they’ll say anything they think about anything, just to chime in.

I almost never get @ messages, and when I do it’s “LOL” or something complimentary, and I’ll stick with that. I can’t imagine logging in each day and seeing thousands of messages nitpicking or outright insulting me, that must be awful.

Also, the reading comprehension of people online, VARIES WILDLY, to be politically correct about it. Some people will read a 400-word essay, pick out one word, and that’s the essay to them.

A guy wanted me to CALL HIM ON THE TELEPHONE, because he didn’t understand my explanation that comedy and music are not the same, in that audiences will knowingly go see the same music they’ve bought on an album. That’s not metaphysics folks, I summed it up, and it’s very easy to understand.

The point I’m trying to make is, you guys are awesome. I have an awesome non-internetwide group of readers and you do not harass me. For that, I am very thankful.

One response I got said;

“Oh, Doug Benson always tells crowds to not tape him, now I understand why.”

And that’s truly who I was addressing. The non-hardcore comedy fan who doesn’t understand the process.

Whether or not the insults hurled were appropriate for the “crime” was not up to me to decide. But being told you have a double chin isn’t the worst thing that can happen. Someday her emotional wounds will heal, and she will be whole again.