Racism And Standup Comedy As A Form Of Comedy

There are many movies that show African Americans calling the Caucasian “white boy” or not accepting him because of the color of his skin. I recently watched a movie called guess who starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. The movie is about an African American girl who falls in love with a Caucasian man. She brings him home to meet her family and announce her engagement to her family. Her family is very reluctant to accept him because of his race. After a long weekend and time to get to know him they finally accept him into their family. All throughout the movie racist comments are made in reference to him and the father is even ashamed to announce to his coworker that his daughter’s finance is white. Many comedians use standup comedy to also make racist jokes. It seems that if you are making jokes against whites then it is not racist at all but if comments are made about blacks then it is deemed as racist.

Humorists are often seen as insignificant contributors of society. People consider humorists no more than just “entertainers”, willing to make fun of anything in order to make a crowd laugh, however, has the audience ever contemplated why humorists are the some of the only people who are allowed to critique anything that crosses their mind without consequences? Alain de Botton, claims the vital role of humorist is, “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” I agree with Alain de Botton’s claims, that humorists do hold an important role in society, which is far more than to entertain. They break the ice on delicate topics, communicating the messages to society. Political cartoons and the Colbert

For example, Wong explains that the jokes that comedians offer “are dug painfully out of your own guts” (Para. 8). From this statement, it is clear that, to create jokes, comedians go through intense suffering. This depiction starkly differs from conventional views that regard comedians as happy and contented individuals. While reviewing this notion, a reader would pause and wonder why a comedian entertains people if the comedian is not happy. This inquiry would lead a person to conclude that, to create and deliver jokes, comedians make significant sacrifices for the sake of audiences. Such reflection would cause a reader to view a comedian as a vulnerable individual on whose suffering unwitting audiences thrive. A reader would thus ‘see’ that, although they may not be aware of this, people who constitute audiences for comedians are selfish and cruel. This realization is likely to strongly affect readers at an emotional level. Readers would be ‘frustrated’ with the apparently helpless status of comedians. Further, readers would be ‘angry’ at the people who unwittingly ‘help’ comedians to conceal intense internal suffering. Thanks to these potent emotional reactions, readers would gain added interest in Wong’s arguments. Readers would further scrutinize the article to investigate how society can fail to notice the troubled nature of comedians. While carrying

Modern society allows humorists to touch upon offensive topics without receiving much criticism. As Alain de Botton claimed in his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, humorists’ role is not merely to entertain but “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” De Botton’s argument proves legitimate. Many humorists, such as cartoonists and television hosts, decide to use their humor as a tool to prove an idea or express a belief that cannot be voiced candidly in public.

In Status Anxiety, author de Botton correctly claims that humorists are expected to not only entertain their audience, but to make statements about controversial events that may be too sensitive to say directly and causally present them in a way that is easy for the public to understand. This is demonstrated through various forms of media such as television shows and political cartoons.

Popular television shows aids to heavily influence American audiences, perpetuating, and problematic ideas about homosexuality. Not all mainstream media adheres to traditional social ideas. South Park uses satire to deconstruct heteronormative views on homosexuality. Therefore, homosexuality is accepted more widespread through use of mainstream media.

Dave Chappelle was the king of comedy. He had his own show on Comedy Central, did many stand ups and guest starred in many SNL skits. His works were filled heavily with racial satire with the intent to attack and expose racism throughout America in a non-threatening way. Dave Chappelle’s masterful delivery and extreme horatian satirical techniques allow for top-shelf entertainment with an underlying, thought provoking message.

Many people feel that controversial topics, such as racism or anti-Semitism, should be regarded as off-limits when it comes to humor. These people argue that any joke about these topics is inappropriate and always should be punished, or, at the very least, condemned, and to a certain extent, I agree with

There are many prevalent issues, including abortion, race, religion, and pedophilia, that exist not only in America, but across the world, that many people have a difficult time discussing. These topics have a tendency to make people uncomfortable, and when brought up in discussion it can be easy to offend someone who has an opposing opinion. Even though conversation about these issues is difficult to engage in, the conversations are important to have. Satire has a way of making light of uncomfortable topics, and it allows for the conversation about these topics to be started. Since satire approaches these topics in a joking manner, people might be less inclined to be offended. In Bojack Horseman and South Park, the characters are able to talk about an incredibly controversial topic, abortion, in a way that should not be taken offensively. These examples demonstrate that if done in an effective way, satire can touch upon any topic. Since these two episodes are fictional and presented as an animation, there is a separation from reality that makes it easier to tackle more controversial topics effectively. Being a cartoon, audiences automatically view these shows as as fictional, so discussion about controversial topics can be brought up and audiences are less likely to be offended. When topics that are difficult or uncomfortable to talk about are covered in different mediums, like articles, novels, and non-animated shows, it is easier for

With comedy being a direct reflection of society it has taken on darker themes from the world that it's influenced by. In modern times of our politically collect world it's become evident that some of this darker comedy is seen as offensive. This type of comedy often addresses and pokes fun of serious topics and issues.This may include disabilities/illnesses, 9/11,the holocaust ,racism, drugs, sexism, murder, and other assortments of other political and social topics that seem to carry a negative connotation and are seen as unmentionables in specific settings. This seems to be especially true in a comedic setting due to the general public's relation to these topics,but what necessarily makes these offensive to an individual and the general

Most citizens make racist jokes without even knowing it, and even when they do realize it, they don’t make any effort to make up for it. Without “races” these jokes wouldn’t be funny because they wouldn’t even exist. The main reason people are racist is because they see other races as different, or strange, and even alien. Race should not determine how you treat them, or see them as. Just because someone could be white or black, doesn’t mean it’s right to treat them

Racism is still an issue in the United States of America. Many authors of satirical cartoons such as The Boondocks and Black Dynamite have emphasized these events in a satirical manner to try to get the American public involved and stop the racial oppression that is occurring. However, many audience members do not take these types of shows seriously and view them as a joke rather than a serious topic. As the majority of audience members not taking satirical shows such as The Boondocks and Black Dynamite seriously has led to the support of racism instead of the abolishment of it.

Humor can be very powerful, even when it comes to an everyday circumstance. Humor is a person's way of expressing themselves, and everybody has a different way to express it. When trying to express yourself using humor it is very easy to upset another person. One little detail can make a person contemplate on the issue you are referring to or it can make another person sway the other way. In the article it talks about artists mocking assassinations to make a point, however, those mock assassinations offended some. The humor of the audience influenced their reaction to the mock assassination. If they were a serious person they would have taken the mocks as a true threat and thought the situation was taboo. However, if the audience had a dark

“Without [comedy] blood demons will come and take our children” (qtd. in McKee). When asked how important comedy is due to the political and social climate of the United States, this is how comedian Patton Oswalt chose to respond. Although not serious in nature, his response perfectly encapsulates how serious issues can be tackled in comedic ways. In this analysis, I will consider The Comedians of Comedy (Michael Blieden, 2005) and argue that through the recording of events as they occur, interviews, and problem solving, the documentary uses humor to promote liberal politics while identifying social problems plaguing the United States.

This essay is going to discuss about racism in comedy and in addition to that it is also going to look at whether it is acceptable for comedians to use certain racial words for example when black comedians use the word “Nigger”. Also it is going to look at how different audience put up with this kind of material, but first of all it is going to look at the actual word itself and where in the blue marble that we call earth it originated from.