Dr Zuleyka Zevallos

So the distinction is between you condemning racism in advertising and Aboriginal women responding to racism directed specifically to Aboriginal women?

I'm not defending Noah's comments - they were hideous. But he's an entertainer - "comedy", even if its bad or offensive, is his job. Demanding an apology doesn't get us closer to a point where such jokes are no longer told, nor to a point where they cease to get laughs.

So the distinction is between you defending Noah as an entertainer and "not defending Noah's comments"?

That he, as an entertainer, has the right to be a jerk. And you - or I, or anyone else - have the right to be offended. The cautionary note that my article was about is that I don't think we - as in progressives - ever get what we think we want from these shaming campaigns.

So who do you classify as ‘we’ in the progressive space? I don’t think you’re quite getting the point. This is keeping a celebrity to account for his offensive remarks. Let’s not also forget he gained financially from a joke where Aboriginal women were the punchline

My position is that I don't agree that Trevor Noah - or any other comedian for that matter - is accountable to the public. My thoughts on the issue of financial gain in this context however, are a bit more complicated than I can tackle in a tweet.

Ok - So let’s remove the Aboriginal part. Say this was directed to another girl of women. By that logic, you would be completely fine with women being the punchline of a joke that was clearly sexist, w/out being held to account?

It's a little tricky to answer this question because I don't agree that "account" is the right (or relevant) word here. That said, Noah was awful - the hypothetical joke you're proposing sounds awful - but the bell can't be unrung. A cajoled apology doesn't unsay a (bad) joke.