A comedian has claimed that he was snubbed for a gig, because he’s white, straight, able-bodied and male. Fans of Nick Dixon recommended him to a comedy club promoter. The promoter replied saying:
“I kind of have a million billion really good white, straight able-bodied male comedians I can call upon. I’m trying to find more of the opposite. When I say the opposite I don’t necessarily mean a black gay woman in a wheelchair, but I’ve seen how hard it is for female acts, black acts etc to get on good bills. And it’s good to mix it up with character acts.”
Dixon shared the message on social media but hasn’t named the promoter or the venue. He says that white male colleagues face the same scrutiny over their identity.
Speaking to The Daily Express Dixon said:
“This has happened to basically every straight white comedian I know. Whether it’s live or TV work, everyone this happens to feels it’s wrong, though they might not admit it publicly.
Some argue that this kind of thing is just redressing the balance for past discrimination. But if you asked them to give up their place on a TV panel show for a person of colour it would be a different story. Cack-handed attempts at social engineering don’t help anyone.”
A promoters job is to find the funniest comics. That’s it. He/she won’t last long if they’re hiring talent based on ethnicity and sexual orientation. Standards will inevitably drop.
I can’t say that I’ve been to many comedy clubs of late, but social engineering is everywhere. Watch any recent BBC or ITV drama. Every other couple is mixed-race and every family seems to have a LGBT kid. That hardly reflects reality. I personally find it insulting. The adverts are worse than the programmes.
A friend of mine who has worked at the BBC for years, told me recently that when on location, reporters are encouraged to prioritise people of colour when doing Vox pops.
We’re being programmed and manipulated from dawn til dusk. Someone, somewhere is working round the clock to change how we perceive reality. You know what? They’re winning.
