---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the 1990s, it's OK to do comedy about…"
description: "\"In the 1990s, it's OK to do comedy about the Chernobyl disaster or the Space Shuttle blowing up. It's acceptable to ridicule the Pope or the President ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/sam-kinison-11470_about_in-the-1990s-it-s-ok-to-do-comedy-about_1250846.jpg"
---

#  In the 1990s, it's OK to do comedy about the Chernobyl…

![“In the 1990s, it's OK to do comedy about the Chernobyl disaster or the Space Shuttle blowing up. It's acceptable to ridicule the Pope or the President of the United States, but God forbid you do a joke... about gays. The gay community is the last sacred cow in this society.” quote by Sam Kinison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/sam-kinison-11470_about_in-the-1990s-it-s-ok-to-do-comedy-about_1250846.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/sam-kinison-11470_about_in-the-1990s-it-s-ok-to-do-comedy-about_1250846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf6/sam-kinison-11470_about_in-the-1990s-it-s-ok-to-do-comedy-about_1250846.jpg)

> “In the 1990s, it's OK to do comedy about the Chernobyl disaster or the Space Shuttle blowing up. It's acceptable to ridicule the Pope or the President of the United States, but God forbid you do a joke... about gays. The gay community is the last sacred cow in this society.”

[Sam Kinison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kinison/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote critiques double standards in humor, noting that society tolerates jokes about many serious topics but draws a line at LGBTQ+ subjects, treating them as untouchable.

**In simple terms:** Comedy is allowed on many topics but not on gay issues.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge unequal humor standards.

Themes

freedom of speech doubleism LGBTQ+ rights double standards

Mood

critical reflective

Type

observational satirical

When to use this quote

- stand‑up comedy
- media commentary
- public discourse

Key Concepts

censorship social norms identity politics

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are jokes about gay people considered off‑limits?
- How does selective tolerance affect free expression?

A Different Perspective

Humor can reinforce prejudice when some groups are shielded from satire.

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[Chernobyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chernobyl/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-community/) [Gays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gays/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pope/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [Sacred cows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-cows/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space shuttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-shuttle/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/)

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Browse all 26,122 About quotes

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