[Maru]

Comedy has definitely been affected by politics, for sure Alf, but I think that really just depends on where we see the show/performance. If it's mainstream TV or Hollywood, then yes those things are going to be filtered and certain themes will be predominent. Mainstream comedians have said as much and that there is a pressure to be at least be on the "right side" of history.

However, if the comedian is a nobody and has gone indie, then there's really no limit... though there will be financial limitations if their act is too edgy, as social media is usually the most convenient and influential mediasites, but sites have gone from being simple platforms to behaving more like publishers. This means more and more of those "platforms" are putting increasing input into what does/doesn't trend or appear on their website... and of course with the case of demonization, it affects everyone across the board.

To compare though, I don't think it is just comedy that has dropped in quality in the mainstream/Hollywood... music, drama, citcoms. Much of entertain media has seen a steady decline in quality, but that's been true for quite some time. I don't think that's largely due to politics, though that can affect the themes that become more predominent over time.

Though from your POV, it's valid to say that there is a filter that's affected your ability to enjoy shows you used to because of the stress that is now put on media to have social commentary. That's not just Hollywood/, that's really all media across the board. And depending on where the media is made, depends on the level/direction of that social commentary.

To that point, my personal feeling is mainstream content on a large scale imo is becoming more disassociated from the average person as these messages get louder and louder in order to compete for our attention. As the years have gone on, I've had to take TV/media less literally because some of it has become more of it has become parody. Particularly themes about the little man beating the bigger man or idealistic themes of heroism/man versus the machine, etc. It's all overly contrived compared to how the underlying themes used to be more subtler, rich in detail and artistry. I remember when Disney movies could cover so much territory conversation-wise and artistically speaking with nuanced story-telling. Now it is more obvious what most of the theme/goals of the story are from beginning to finish will be. It's missing the surprise.

All that said, comedy will seem to exaggerate these declines the most probably, since much of the art form involves addressing society/social commentary and taking advantage of current events to deliver a punchline on a chosen theme.