Gadsby's work is a testament to how eagerly the arbiters of our culture will devour and elevate work that convincingly purports to be progressive. Hannah Gadsby’s mission to rescue comedy from cruelty ends with “Douglas,” an act so immensely cruel it rises nearly to the level of torture. Gadsby, of course, is famous only because her first major special, “Nanette,” rejected the art of stand-up comedy, arguing that “punch lines need trauma” and are inherently “destructive.” Having pleased the liberal arbiters of culture, Gadsby followed her “powerful” and “transformative” rejection of stand-up with a stand-up special. “Nanette,” as it turns...