Matt Rife Is Facing Backlash Again, This Time For Making Fun Of A 6-Year-Old
The world coming for Matt Rife was one of the easiest projected cancellings ever. It was inevitable. It just doesn't pay to be good-looking and funny. This is why I chose to be funny. Matt Rife had a new special that premiered on Netflix a few weeks ago. I haven't met a single person who has praised it. He's received backlash for making jokes about domestic violence, and last night, he went off on a kid on Instagram for telling him that all of his Christmas presents were bought with OnlyFans' money. Honestly, I find that one of the funnier things he ever did. Unnecessary cruelty makes Castellani laugh.
What's so annoying to me about the Matt Rife controversy is that we have to deal with this shit with every single popular comedian. Every comedian makes jokes about controversial topics, and we have to act like he's the first to ever do it. The problem is we live in this heightened culture where to find something unfunny means that you find it offensive. I don't really find it that amusing or funny when people joke about my alcoholism, but I sure as shit assume that other people do. This is something called "taking it in stride" and "having a sense of humor," which is something most people struggle with.
Do you know my biggest problem with Matt Rife? I wish he were funnier. History may be repeating itself, but we might have a Dane Cook situation. Dane Cook became insanely popular quickly, and the backlash was insane. What plagued Dane Cook wasn't that he was unfunny; it was that he wasn't funny enough to gain the popularity that he did. I also get the impression that Rife, similar to Dane Cook, isn't just content with being a comedian but wants to be a superstar. This rarely works. Eddie Murphy set the precedent for this when he became one of the biggest names in the world in the 80s, but in general, people don't like it when comedians try to become a-listers. If it happens naturally, so be it, but people can tell when it's forced. 
The big problem that stupid people don't understand is that making a halfhearted attempt to cancel a comedian usually ends up making them more popular. Getting fired from SNL was the best thing to happen to Shane Gillis's career. Dave Chapelle was getting bashed so hard for his Netflix special several years back. He ended up winning a Grammy for it. There's truth to the fact that you can ignore something that you don't like without giving it attention. It's why people ignore me all the time. I think comedians can be key voices of reason in this ridiculous world we live in, but I don't think they're important enough to receive the kind of fervent pushback they often receive. They aren't running for President of the United States; they're telling dick jokes on a stage. You don't have to laugh, just don't be an asshole.