The Joke's On Who?!

“Comedy is, to put it mildly, political.  If you want to understand the preconceptions and power structures of a society or social group, there are few better ways than by studying what it laughs at.”

This quote from media theorist Andy Medhurst was shown during Suzanne’s lecture titled “The Racial Politics of Comedy”. I think this quote perfectly summarises the influence comedy has to identify and question current racial systems in society.  We often see humour being used as the scapegoat for blasé racist comments made in passing, with people using the “it’s just a joke” approach to absolve them of any possible guilt felt by such claims. A similar understanding of ‘guilt-free’, humourous racism is also attached to many stand up comedians, however as Medhurst points out there are some wonderfully progressive approaches to racism that is unique to comedy.  

As we have learnt throughout this course, humour is ambivalent and ambiguous, with context playing an important role in how certain jokes are received.

While it is definitely a fair statement to say that racism shouldn’t be taken as a lighthearted joking matter, it is important to recognise comedy as a dynamic and engaging social platform with the ability to address trangressive issues directly. This is made possible through comedy’s use of comic inversion and insider satire. Both of these comedic strategies examine the established power structures in place as well as acknowledging naturalized stereotypes of minority groups, to then flip these ideals on their heads. Stand up comedy highlights these rigid structures in place by drawing attention to the hilarious absurdities that underpin the majority way of life. Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Aziz Ansari are all examples of stand-up comedians who aren’t afraid to expose how micro-aggressions and casual racism define how the majority depicts their own minority groups.

Having the ability to provide insight into how these daily confrontations with racism effect minority groups provides comedians with an influential sense of power and pushback to essentialist stereotypes. Offering context to life within the restrictions of a majority dominated society can help the initiate questions of representation, prompting the need the change the way minority groups are depicted.

It may seem funny and outrageous to hear some of the things stand up comics are saying about the world we live in, but next time you are watching one on TV or Youtube perhaps stop to think about why you are laughing at it – Is it simply because it’s an absurd perception on how we behave or is it because you recognise an underlying truth to the comments being made?