Progressive Comedy: Fresh Off the Boat, Nish Kumar and John Mulaney

Progressive Comedy: Fresh Off the Boat, Nish Kumar and John Mulaney

I think it’s interesting that stand-up comedy does not have the same constraints television shows have, and can ultimately be a source of great progressive change. Watching the television show “Fresh Off the Boat,” I do find the humour funny, because I identify and engage with the ‘Insider Knowledge,’ that is at play; I celebrate the representation of Constance Wu, in satirising ‘Dragon Mothers,’ and the portrayal of a diverse and satirical Asian-American family. At the same time, I worry that people without the ‘Insider Knowledge’ of Asian culture accept what should be satire as truths, that Asians are cheap and stingy, are incapable of expressing their emotions, and are pressured by their ‘Dragon Mothers’ to get good grades. Thus, because the satire is intended to be subtle, in order to reach a wider audience, the nuances and ‘inside jokes’ may be lost on the ignorant.

 In contrast, stand-up comedy can overtly challenge the status quo, with none of the constraints, of producers, censorship laws, audience demographics, that television shows have. Nish Kumar, who is a British comedian, also uses humour to talk about his experiences as a British Indian. (See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keAs0jMvBDE) With the ‘insider knowledge’ that he has as a British Indian, he is able to satirise the stereotypes Indians have as “doctors, corner shops and curries.” Thus, the question of who is making the joke, for whom and why will highlight the difference between regressive and progressive comedy. Nish satirises the stereotypes, not the people, so that we are laughing at society, with a British Indian who has made the joke. I was interviewing Nish Kumar for the student mag, and one of the things he said about comedy was really interesting. “Stand-up is a good forum to discuss race, it allows complexities. You’re talking for an hour, which means you can get into in-depth, complicated discussions, while on social media there is a limited amount of space.” Similarly, there is a freedom in stand-up to talk about issues that you want, without time, regulation and broadcasting constraints by television shows like “Fresh Off the Boat.” Comedians like Margaret Cho, Chris Rock and Nish Kumar are able to use comedy to highlight and undermine racial hierarchies because they come from a position of ‘insider knowledge.’ But can White comedians do the same?

Recently, I watched John Mulaney’s standup ‘The Comeback Kid,’ where he uses his Whiteness and market mobility to challenge the racial status quo to a White audience that may not have been expecting it. For example, in one instance Mulaney mentioned the legalization of marijuana. The crowd whooped in response. Looking at his audience – whose demographic is largely educated, White Americans – he said, “Don’t woo if you’re white!” It is a well-known fact that the ‘War on Drugs’ targeted Blacks and Latinos. John Mulaney implies that White Americans weren’t able to celebrate the legalisation of marijuana because it never affected them in the first place, not when they were afforded unlimited invisibility compared to the harsh incarceration rates for African Americans in possession of drugs. In this way, we are not laughing at African Americans, but the government and society. Thus, although Mulaney may not have the ‘insider knowledge’ that Margaret Cho and Nish Kumar have, he is able to use his Whiteness to draw attention to racial politics to an audience that may not have been expecting it.