Comedian Michael Che — new “Weekend Update” anchor and former “Daily Show” correspondent — is under fire for posting a clueless joke about street harassment to social media. Che was responding to the viral street harassment PSA released by actress Shoshana B. Roberts and Rob Bliss.
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Clearly comedy is often used as a method to explore topical and uncomfortable subjects — to both confront and understand them — but this joke reveals that Che doesn’t quite understand what is so problematic about street harassment: Men feeling entitled to direct their unsolicited thoughts at women — often but not limited to comments on their appearance or asking them to smile. Needless to say, this is very different from Che being recognized as a celebrity/public figure and being asked to take a photo.
Che later tweeted that many misunderstood his joke.
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Shortly after he posted this non-apology-apology:
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I wonder what his former “Daily Show” cast-member Jessica Williams would think? Earlier this month she starred in the segment “Jessica’s Feminized Atmosphere” that lambasted the practice of catcalling.
