This Site Has Moved

New Wordpress Site

The Old/Non Updated Content...




The home of the haikulator

 

Links

Sentence Generators
My Stand-up & gigs
The Coding Craftsman
BurberryAndBroccoli
MarkInventions

The Musical!
Incredible Productions

apostrophell
backlash
incredible
haiku


Previous Posts

Well Well Well
Weekends Are Funny Things
Looking Back
So What's Funny Then?
Chortle Review
A Night On The Tiles
Ignore This If You're Not A Programmer
Maintenance
A Year Later
Piling On The Stress

Blog Archives

October 2001
November 2001
December 2001
January 2002
February 2002
March 2002
April 2002
May 2002
June 2002
July 2002
August 2002
September 2002
October 2002
November 2002
December 2002
January 2003
February 2003
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
August 2009
September 2009
January 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
October 2011
December 2011
February 2012
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
July 2012
March 2013
April 2013
May 2013
June 2013
July 2013
August 2013
September 2013
October 2013
December 2013
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
May 2014
July 2014
January 2015
February 2015
March 2015
April 2015
May 2015
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
May 2016
July 2016
August 2017
January 2018
August 2018
September 2018
July 2019
August 2019
May 2020
June 2020
July 2020
August 2020
September 2020
December 2020
January 2021
July 2021
September 2021
February 2022

Wednesday, November 22

Not Mildy Racist

Seinfeld star Michael Richards is something of a stand-up comedian. The sort of stand-up comedian I think I don't like. I'm basing this on very little evidence, so I'm prepared to change my opinion a bit. However, there is a brand of comedian I've never really enjoyed - the sort who strut around the stage being deliberately arrogant and provocative without any sense of the absurd. The use of hateful comedy without that steam-release valve that says "Look, I'm a vulnerable individual, just like you" or "Actually, I'm just illustrating a point like this", but which instead says "Aaaaaaagh, look at the stuff I hate, isn't it shit and aren't I amazing for pointing it out", rather annoys me. I've seen American acts do this and it can border on the racist/homophobic anyway - because you can't use hate as comedy without branding archetypes as hateworthy.

So, it isn't entirely surprising to see this comedian's rant go horribly wrong. At some point, the switch which controls which part of thoughts go to the mouth, got bust here and in his anger, the comedian becomes a bile spewing racist. Was he pretending and did it get out of hand? Did he accidentally out his darkest hatred of black people? or was it just black people talking in comedy clubs he hates? What was he trying to say with his repeated use of the "N-word" and his point about how 50 years ago, "you'd have been hanging upside down from a tree"?

At the very very best, this moron completely misread an audience and pushed on deeper into a hole for a good minute or two (which feels a hell of a lot longer when on stage). At worst, he's a racist prick who's been caught out. Somewhere in the middle is that awkwardness of context and desperation which makes the improvising comedian either look like a genius or a fool when they're saying whatever it is that comes into their head to try to make their point.

I've dug myself into some holes before and managed to dig myself out. I've said stuff on stage which could easily be taken out of context as racist - if it has been by anyone then that is a failing in the person who took it out of context, but also a failing in myself for not making the meaning more blindingly obvious. I'm a relatively inexperienced rookie, compered to the so-called professional involved in the above debacle, yet I've never managed to get myself into anything like that sort of trouble. That's because I don't want there to be a victim of my humour, so much as I want there to be good humour and laughter at the ridiculous or the cleverly twisted.

If Michael Richards never works again, then it will be the penalty of that unique combination of stardom, opening your mouth and saying THE WRONG THING, and the fact that CAMERA-PHONE + THE INTERNET + A STAR = HUGE INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT! If this had happened 20 years ago, it wouldn't have even happened.

What a plonker!

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

All content ©2001 - 2020 Ashley Frieze