This is true only with respect to the recent comedy. It became crass just as the rest of the entertainment. Up until a couple of decades ago, movie-goers did not need to see intestines falling out to know that a person was killed, or buttocks and breasts to know that a couple is making love, or hear F-word every second to know that someone is upset.
You must've missed those times, and your remark says more about your age than comedy.
I didn't say crass, or relying on shock value like the F-word. I said "insenstive".
As far as my age, I've had great fun introducing my kids to classic comedies like the Beverly Hillbillies and Andy Griffin, which insensitively makes fun of both country folk and city folk. Or the Pink Panther series, which insensitively makes fun of the French, government and spies. Or the Get Smart series, which insensitively makes fun of Germans (certain Chaos members), and various others. But they weren't crass and they didn't rely on shock value.
They were funny. But if people wore chips on their shoulders then, like they do now, we probably would have had protests against them. And I didn't even touch on Laugh-In or All in the Family.
Gottfried's remark (at least the one in the article) didn't even stereotype anybody. It was no different than all the maps posted on FR of Florida having moved next to the Dakotas and saying "had enough" after a string of Hurricanes. It was just too early. They are still dealing with the crisis.