My first exposure to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was in university from – mom, don’t read this – some guy I was sleeping with turning it on one night after, well, you know. Anyway. I thought it was dumb. I associated it with the stupid wannabe frat boys that thought it was great that these guys could say the f-slur and get away with absolutely heinous shit because it’s edgy. I’m pretty sure at the time I rolled my eyes, rolled over and went to sleep.
But as time went on, I noticed more and more of my quote-unquote woke friends proclaiming themselves as Always Sunny fans. I saw a lot of discussion online regarding Mac Finds His Pride and even a lot of praise for how this show was handling difficult topics. And I was so confused. Really? Always Sunny is doing this? The show my dad’s Trump-loving, conservative friend watches and enjoys?
So, I dove in. The first 8 seasons are on Disney+ – well, technically Star but there’s something incredibly funny to me about that – and the rest I watched in totally legal manners. This actually worked in my favour, considering the number of episodes that were removed from streaming due to blackface (5 total were removed which is uh, something).
And here’s the thing, for the most part, I really enjoy Always Sunny. I think it’s funny and can present really sharp, cutting social commentary. I think Mac’s journey is something that was surprisingly well-executed. But there are storylines and jokes that have me rolling my eyes and cringing. Yes, I get that the joke is that these people are awful and you’re making a commentary on the lowbrow-ness of racist caricatures, but you’re still doing these racist caricatures, essentially for laughs. I get that blackface is bad, I don’t need Dee in blackface and having the gang boo her and literally say “her humour is just so lowbrow” to finally grasp the concept.
I also think that Always Sunny faces almost an American Psycho-esque problem … stay with me now. American Psycho is a social commentary on consumerism and modern masculinity but yet there is a group of primarily young, white men that don’t seem to get it. They think Patrick Bateman is cool, he actually has a point. They don’t see the subtext, they just see the text. And I think it’s fair to say there’s a solid portion of the Always Sunny audience that is just seeing the text. Which, in my opinion, is a dangerous game to play when it comes to dark comedy – you can’t control how the audience interprets the text. Sure, you’re making a criticism of the welfare system and the general public’s understanding of the welfare system, but is your audience understanding that or are they laughing at Dee & Dennis saying the r-word and pretending to be “crackheads”?
So what to make of Always Sunny? I think for the most part it is a smart, well-written, edgy comedy series that will be remembered as wildly influential. But I think (like with all media) it’s important to recognize its flaws and insensitivities and remember that just because a show dubs itself as “dark and edgy” does not mean we can dismiss its problematic and tasteless moments.
What I’m Listening To:
CANADALAND COMMONS has begun a new season on Canada’s relationship with mining. The first two episodes have centred on the Klondike and Asbestos and I’m very interested to see what else is covered – especially Canada’s mining efforts in South America. Mining is a major part of Canada’s continued colonialism that isn’t discussed in great depth and I’m excited to see it covered.
Articles:
What's wrong with land acknowledgments, and how to make them better
Our Glorification Of Nurses Is Preventing Action On Racism
How Bad Does the Overdose Crisis Have to Get Before Leaders Make It a Priority?
The Methods of Moral Panic Journalism
Yes, LeBron, vaccination is a social justice issue
Internet Shit:
I don’t know how many Ottawa folks subscribe but I thought I’d boost this, just in case!
Till next time!
xoxo, Liz