The Ethics of Performing for Dictators

Oct 16, 2025 · 1h 07m

Can comedians ethically perform standup for a despotic regime without endorsing it? Recently the Riyadh Comedy Festival invited furor when some comics schlepped to Saudi Arabia to perform–at great expense–while others declined in protest of supporting human rights abuses. Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan join to discuss. Space Tractor: And Other Short Stories, by Josh Jennings https://www.amazon.com/SPACE-TRACTOR-Science-Fiction-Stories-ebook/dp/B0FJPDYMH8/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zZeSAsnZLKSRxIo27_gcMnoklebwF1XE2-ktnBUZV6g0qkMExX8quDXpYFpppH_3e3LCflI4shlhv14uVcYX3v5kKwSxg-MAnHxFe_K4Enhl1N_fUVXYpy8MSYmhsEj4jdx1GXV95xe1mT1mGDJZdA.5O7WtgRE8WN-Z8xMnveA8g0rrXobxvheK2IS9TrnWq8&dib_tag=se&qid=1760124093&refinements=p_27%3AJosh+Jennings&s=digital-text&sr=1-5&text=Josh+Jennings

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