As a society, we are still not able to take a joke, says stand-up comedian Daniel Fernandes as he strips the layers of the comedy scene in India
Stand-up has come a long way. We've moved from tiny pub shows in 2009 to comedy festivals, roasts, solo tours and International gigs in 2015. I remember doing 2.5 minute gig in Malad in 2011 and thinking to myself, "This is interesting. I should probably quit my 9 to 5 job and do this for the rest of my life" And I did.
Along with a bunch of other young comedians, we created a scene that made people sit up and take notice.You'd think with this kind of growth, the entire country is laughing at our jokes and giving us money, but they're not. Instead, they're giving us money, most of them laugh, and some of them get offended.
The problem is that as a society we are still not able to take a joke. The ability to take a joke comes from a place of security where the person in question knows that his/her identity is not defined by what random people say. This very principle explains how the president of the USA can sit through a White House Correspondents dinner and have a comedian do jokes about him. A lot of us unfortunately lack that ability which is why everyone from politicians to zealots have their knickers in a twist every time a comedian says something even remotely funny that sounds like fact.
Comedy is about telling the truth, and let's face it, not all of us like the truth. That's the funny thing about honesty, it strips us down to our hypocrisy, something that not all of us can accept and thus you have FIRs, blog posts and angry mobs on cocaine wanting liberal and forward thinking people to be regressive. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying people should not disagree with things that I may say on stage. But, the manner in which this disagreement is channelled is disturbing.
As a comedian, I have no problem with you disliking my jokes. Feel free to walk out of my show, never buy a ticket again and tell everyone you know about a bad show you attended. But when you believe that you have been placed on this planet with a moral mission to correct everything that does not stand for your righteous principles.
It is okay to not like something… a song, a film or a joke. That's the beauty of choice. However, some of us feel that we need to decide for others. That is where it all goes terribly wrong. Take a look at some of the stuff that's on TV these days. So much of it is far more offensive to humanity than jokes you'd hear at a stand-up comedy show, but I choose to not get upset or offended. Instead, I switch the TV off, go to the kitchen and make myself a sandwich. Yes, that's really the better option.
Personally, I like it when there's slight disagreement during my shows, displayed through silence, gasps or that very Indian thing that sounds like somebody's calling for their horse. It's stuff like this that lets us know if we're doing enough to push the boundaries of our art form. Feel free to show dissent, but don't let it take up too much of your time, because we're all going to die soon, and that very thought makes life worth living.
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