"Ultimately, it is in fun. It is supposed to be highly entertaining"
About this Quote
Hicks is letting you in on the con while daring you to miss it. “Ultimately” sounds like a shrug, but it’s a trapdoor: after all the ranting about war, media, consumer stupor, and spiritual vacancy, he pretends the whole thing can be filed under “fun.” The phrase is disarming on purpose. It lowers the audience’s defenses, the way a smiling salesperson gets you to sign the contract. Then the second sentence tightens the screw: “supposed to be.” Not “is,” but “supposed to be” - a quiet indictment of what entertainment has become when it’s optimized for comfort rather than contact.
The intent is double: give the crowd permission to laugh, and remind them that laughter is not a hall pass from responsibility. Hicks came up in a late-80s/early-90s comedy ecosystem where stand-up was being packaged for clubs, cable specials, and mainstream talk shows. “Entertaining” was the safety label executives wanted on any volatile material. Hicks adopts that label like a fake mustache. He performs compliance while smuggling in provocation.
Subtext: if you came here for harmless diversion, you’ve misunderstood both comedy and your own role as an audience. For Hicks, “fun” isn’t escapism; it’s the sugar that helps the medicine go down, but also the proof that the medicine should taste bitter. He frames the show as entertainment while using entertainment to short-circuit passive consumption - a reminder that the most dangerous ideas often arrive wearing a punchline.
The intent is double: give the crowd permission to laugh, and remind them that laughter is not a hall pass from responsibility. Hicks came up in a late-80s/early-90s comedy ecosystem where stand-up was being packaged for clubs, cable specials, and mainstream talk shows. “Entertaining” was the safety label executives wanted on any volatile material. Hicks adopts that label like a fake mustache. He performs compliance while smuggling in provocation.
Subtext: if you came here for harmless diversion, you’ve misunderstood both comedy and your own role as an audience. For Hicks, “fun” isn’t escapism; it’s the sugar that helps the medicine go down, but also the proof that the medicine should taste bitter. He frames the show as entertainment while using entertainment to short-circuit passive consumption - a reminder that the most dangerous ideas often arrive wearing a punchline.
Quote Details
| Topic | Funny |
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