In Defense of Comedians

 Supposedly, centuries ago, Kings (and Queens?) sometimes had court jesters. One of their jobs was to be honest with the King, in a court where most were too afraid to say anything they feared he might take offense at.
 Also supposedly, the court jester was guaranteed that he (or she?) would not be punished for anything that he said. Sounded great, but in reality sometimes court jesters were executed anyway.  The King might simply lose his temper, and regret it later, etc.
 Comedians, the best ones, are our court jesters. Comedy is an art form, like music, visual arts, and literature (and dance, etc.). We must allow artists to express themselves, fully. We can disagree, we can not go see the show, we can get up and leave, but we cannot physically attack them. We probably should not attack them at all, in any form.
 I know I would feel VERY afraid to get up on a stage and do comedy, because the things that would come into my head I know would get me hated, as they sometimes do with my music, for the few that do not ignore it.
 To get specific, Chris Rock's joke was totally acceptable, in my eyes. He's one of the best, Chris is, and he still can throw out jokes worth hearing. Will Smith was wrong to slap him. Period. Chris did not hit Will's wife, nor did he say, "Hey Will, fuck you and your tramp wife". Instead, he told a joke, one not all that crazy. One not crazy at all.
 I wish when Will had said "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth" that Chris had said "I am a comedian. I'll say what I like", instead of saying "I will", but..I say "BUT", it is easy to be at home behind a keyboard talking about what other people should do.
 Chris took a good slap and stayed steady. Let's give him that.
 Back to a more general view.
 We need comedians, both on stage and off. We need writers. We need photographers, we need painters, we need singers, we need yogis, we need real people doing real things. We NEED challenge, honesty, intensity, and straightforwardness.
 We need open and honest debates, regularly. Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, Dr. Cornell West, Chris Hedges, Joe Rogan, Heather Heying, Jordan Peterson, Aexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barrett Brown, and everyone else, should be left alone and be allowed to say what they choose to say.
 I am not for the shutting down of anyone's speech. We do not have to attend their lecture, but they should be allowed to give it.
 Comedians. We need them, now as much as ever before.