The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
"It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential," Rowan Atkinson said of cancel culture. "Every joke has a victim. That's the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous." The Netflix star continued, "I think you've got to be very, very careful about saying what you're allowed to make jokes about. You've always got to kick up? Really?" He added, "There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything."
All jokes target someone and one should be able to joke about anyone in the society, which is inconsistent with cancel culture.
The comedian's argument in the passage has three parts: comedy must keep its potential to offend, every joke has a victim because something is made to look ridiculous, and in a free society one should be able to joke about anything, including smug people lower down in society. All of this is said in response to cancel culture and the idea that jokes should only "kick up".
The summary stating that all jokes target someone and one should be able to joke about anyone in society, which is inconsistent with cancel culture, brings together the victim idea, the freedom to joke about anyone and the opposition to cancel culture, so it captures the whole essence.
The summary claiming cancel culture does not understand the comedian's duty to deride and mock everyone exaggerates: the passage speaks of the potential to offend and freedom to joke, not a duty to mock everyone. The summary about politicians, royalty and arrogant people from lower classes brings in politicians and royalty, which the passage never names, and narrows the point to whom comedians should mention. The summary saying every joke needs a victim and must include people lower down misses the broader principle of joking about anything and the link to cancel culture.
Hence, All jokes target someone and one should be able to joke about anyone in the society, which is inconsistent with cancel culture.
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Which one of the options below best summarises the passage?
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Important Questions from Non Grammar
- In formulating Principle VI (a), the ILC clarified the term "waging of a war of aggression" because:
- The author attributes the growing public frustration with the UN primarily to which pair of continuous failures?
- A primary point of divergence between the US Conservative position and the Secretary-General's Conservative position on security matters, according to the summary is:
- According to the critique's conclusion, the immediate, insurmountable barrier preventing the implementation of any reform, major or minor, is:
- The Secretary-General's 'Agenda for Peace' proposed a specific military capability intended to address the gap between traditional peace-keeping and full military action. This proposed unit was explicitly characterized by the summary as being:
