The Joke, the Check, and the Fine Print

Comedy, contracts, and the costs of selective consistency.

[Tone: Wry]

Non‑Typical Take

Some muggles want the First Amendment with an applause-only clause. This piece tests that idea against Riyadh: comics who rail against backlash at home accepted legal limits abroad, and critics who demand consequences there often glide past our own unfinished reckoning.

The Stage & the Rulebook

An impressive lineup of comedians secured the bag and performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, a state‑backed spectacle with a rulebook. In the US, some of the same voices conflate criticism with censorship, chasing freedom from consequences, not just freedom to speak. Contracts reportedly barred performers from material that could embarrass the country, its leaders, or religion. That’s… law-adjacent constraint. Meanwhile, in the States, comics complain about “cancel culture” and platform moderation, even as the current regime pressures media companies. The systems aren’t the same, but the comparison gets noisy fast. I’m looking for a signal: what actually changes bet…