Thinking critically what is the relationship between comedy and free speech for you, and what experiences have led you to this position? Here are four possible options, though there are surely others in addition to combinations of these four. One common position is that any topic should be fair game for a comedian. If patrons choose to pay to watch a comedian perform or show up at a free performance on campus, for example, they shouldn’t be surprised if something they find offensive gets paid-in fact, they should perhaps expect to be offended. A second position argues that humor is or at least can be a tool for combatting various kinds of social and societal problems by naming them policy and mocking them. Related to this position is the acknowledgement that such humor often is truly funny, even when it comes at the expense of members of groups we do or don’t belong to. A third position contends that context is crucial-the identity of the person using humor, the homogeneity or values of the particular audience, and the specific location where the humor is used all matter. A fourth position claims that there can be no humor about certain topics; in short, these topics are to be treated as taboos when it comes to humor.