Vince Vaughn has spoken out about the gay joke that was cut from the trailer for The Dilemma if not from the entire movie. Here’s his statement: “Let me add my voice of support to the people outraged by the bullying and persecution of people for their differences, whatever those differences may be. Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together. Drawing dividing lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop.â€
On the one hand, he is right that it’s difficult to put firm lines in the sand as to what you can make jokes about and what you can’t. On the other, I’d argue that when “joking about our differences†is basically making a joke that something “gay†is inferior, you’re increasing tension and pushing people apart, not the opposite. It seems like a cop-out to claim that humor brings everyone together in some sort of Kumbaya campfire singalong when it’s pretty obvious that gay jokes can be incredibly hurtful.