Joe Raiola

MAD Magazine Senior Editor, Emeritus (BIG DEAL!)

The Joy of Censorship

Free Speech and Comedy

In the Age of Political Correctness

In the 21st Century, comedy is under siege. President Trump has questioned the legality of Saturday Night Live, high profile comedians have apologized for jokes, cartoons have inspired riots, and cartoonists have become the target of terrorism.

Should comedians and cartoonists refrain from using words and images that many find offensive? Or, is there any context in which such words and images may be used? And who get to decide?

In The Joy of Censorship, his nationally acclaimed, comic tour de farce, Joe Raiola dives head-first into today’s most controversial free speech issues. He also traces the wild history of MAD Magazine, from renegade publisher William Gaines’ showdown with the United State Senate over comic book censorship, to MAD’s emergence as a revolutionary satiric force.

Adult language.