The acronym FAFO, and the phrase associated with it, has been getting a workout lately.
MAGA voters are whining about the policies of the administration of Republican President Donald Trump adversely affecting them. MAGA politicians are whining about the backlash they're experiencing for enabling Trump.
MAGA celebrities are whining about a lack of work. Trump administration officials are whining about being mocked by South Park. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is whining about being compared to the Gestapo or SS Stormtroopers.
Now "anti-woke" comedian Ben Bankas has added his voice to the "poor me" MAGA choir after video of Bankas mocking the shooting death of Renée Good at the hands of ICE agent Jonathan Ross went viral.
In response to Good's death, Bankas said during a show:
"Yeah, her last name was Good. That's what I said after they shot her in the face."
It seems people in Minnesota don't find extrajudicial executions funny.
Minnesota patrons of the venue where Bankas was scheduled to perform told the proprietor it was Bankas or them.
Unwilling to lose money over a comedian almost no one had heard of whose whole schtick is saying the most shocking things he can, the venue in Minnesota canceled his shows there.
Laugh Camp Comedy Club, in St. Paul, dropped all six of Bankas' shows scheduled for January 30 - February 1.
Now Bankas is online looking for sympathy and his 15 minutes of fame from the MAGA hateful who boosted his follower count on Instagram after his shows were canceled and he cried victim.
In the MAGAsphere, private business rights are only good if they're racist, homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic, or used for some other form of bigotry. When a private business cancels a fellow bigot because they're bad for business, MAGA falsely claims it's a "free speech" violation.
Bankas whined about being faced with accountability for his actions on Instagram.
Despite gaining new followers on Instagram, his "poor me" post failed to draw support in the comments.
@benbankas2/Instagram
@benbankas2/Instagram
@benbankas2/Instagram
@benbankas2/Instagram
@benbankas2/Instagram
@benbankas2/Instagram
Sympathy for Bankas was also scarce among his peers in the stand-up subReddit (r/Standup).
The online community is "for standup comics, from open micers to theater acts, to ask questions, answer questions, present material, coordinate shows, bitch about the industry, swap horror stories, and assorted bullsh*ttery."
Most comedians understood venues need to protect their bottom line, especially in a Trump economy.
r/Standup/Reddit
r/Standup/Reddit
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r/Standup/Reddit
The comedians in the group also critiqued Bankas work.
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r/Standup/Reddit
Bankas did have one defender.
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But they were quickly downvoted and shut down.
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r/Standup/Reddit
r/Standup/Reddit
r/Standup/Reddit
As evidenced by comedians who are transphobic for laughs while claiming to have a transgender friend, like Dave Chappelle, companies like Netflix continue to support and promote their comedy as long as they're big stars who make the company money.
But unfunny nobodies like Bankas aren't worth it to a small business owner.
@benbankas2/Instagram
Bankas promised to find a new venue to bring his brand of hatred for laughs to Minnesota, despite no one asking for it in the comments.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@aricchen/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@hydemia411/Bluesky
