So comedy and evolution, where do you think it's headed?

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So comedy and evolution, where do you think it's headed? Oct 5, 2016 9:26:21 GMT -6

Post by Admin on Oct 5, 2016 9:26:21 GMT -6

Here's my theory - comedy - has often been kind of about poking stuff. It's kind of evolved with the times, partly reactively and partly drug by a handful of extremely inventive individuals.

But my thought here is - comedy was pretty tame through the 50s, and then comedians began to - sort of chomp at that bit if you will. And then it swung much further left in the 60s and became much edgier. Not that there wasn't edgy stuff going on before that. It just became more mainstream.

And then the 70s was sort of balls out. The 80s things got more conservative and walked that back a bit. The 90s felt like a time of experimentation in both directions.

But - here's the thing, that reactive part of the comedy beast, I feel like is turning on the left now. Edgy underground comedy seems to be, on that super subterranean level where the lava brews, happening to spite the political correctness and community standards and "safe spaces" that have grown from the left.

Rather than the recently more traditional deal where it seemed more to react to the stodginess of the right.

The left has sort of usurped that role within the social power structure, and - to me it seems like the truly ripe ground for comedy right now, because of that, is - like the subterranean eruptions from the right, like alt-right.

And in a sense, the left leaning comedians that are turning their edge toward defending that against those other sort of "status-quo" defying voices may not be - sort of actually participating in these roles quite the way they see themselves.

It's not a super defined chain of thought, but it's something I've been wanting to post about before it flees my head.

There are a lot of social ideas tied up in it. But it's basically about the direction of comedy and the social roles that comedians play (both knowingly and unknowingly) and if rebellion is as big a part of comedy as I think it may be, is comedy, as a beast, going to be lurching more to the right as the left gradually becomes the more mainstream?

Celldweller
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So comedy and evolution, where do you think it's headed? Oct 5, 2016 11:34:51 GMT -6 Admin likes this

Post by Celldweller on Oct 5, 2016 11:34:51 GMT -6

The zeitgiest has always had a big impact on comedy. I mean, a lot of your mainstream or broad appeal comedy harp on more topical subject matter. I can't say where it's heading, myself, but I have found it interesting seeing the duality of contemporary humor. Like, honestly, you can joke about anything, but just because it's a joke doesn't mean it's funny. Important distinction there that, I think, people are missing. I'll hear people say, "you can't joke about rape! There's nothing funny about rape!" But, well, in the right comedic hands and with the proper delivery, yes, actually, you can. The problem is that people try and be edgy by simply mentioning rape, as if it is now suddenly funny because they have mentioned it. And that's not really how jokes work. That being said, I see a fair number of modern comedians taking the reins and effectively making these jokes, all while I continue to see the sort of knee-jerk "haha! rape!" material, as well. Here's an example, albeit by one of the most talented comedians ever, about how you can make the topic of rape funny.

In the same vein, there are also the more taboo subjects that people deem too sensitive to even broach. This is similar to things like rape and abortion, but moreso refers to things like being transgender, being handicapped in some way or the color of ones skin or type of culture. But we know you can joke about these things, well, some more than others, anyways. You just need the right person and situation to do so. Going back to the first example, being transgender, there are a plethora of jokes out there about trans people or being trans. Very common. And many of them get laughs because they are insensitive. Some view it as crude humor, others see it as misinformed banter making the rounds, but more often than not, it's fairly generic "haha! tranny!" material. On the flip side, there are examples of humor regarding the trans community that can be seen as "respectful" or "informed." That being said, it's obvious that this option isn't as popular. It takes extra effort and more often than not, it won't get as big of a reaction (or laugh) than the remark that took half a second to think of. There's also a happy medium, as well, but good luck with that.

*Another thing I think that's important to note is that, especially in this day and age where people think they have to be offended, and if they aren't actively being offended then that itself is offensive, is the purpose of the joke. When people take offense to the broad idea of joking about the taboo or sensitive material, they are typically viewing the concept of such jokes to be making light of the subject as a whole. When in reality it's usually just a joke involving that subject versus mocking the entire subject itself.

I don't know where I'm going with this. So.
KBAI.

Last Edit: Oct 5, 2016 11:54:29 GMT -6 by Celldweller

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So comedy and evolution, where do you think it's headed? Oct 5, 2016 12:27:54 GMT -6

Post by Admin on Oct 5, 2016 12:27:54 GMT -6

I keep trying to tear myself away from the internet to get some zs.

but immediately what I'm struck by is part of what brought this about was watching comedians tank with liberal audiences just for mentioning something as part of a joke, or using a buzzword that's immediately reacted to by elements within the audience. And almost every time I've seen, the comedian in question is actually using it to - point out a funny idea, but actually more often than not is using it to make fun of the very thing that people are getting offended by.

So - like a comedian makes a joke about a particular behavior, BECAUSE that behavior is funny. It's hilarious that anybody in these our modern times would act like that. And that sense of - disbelief I guess, can be very funny.

But I've seen audiences take it the wrong way, and just react to a word first without even attempting to get the context of where it sits in the bit. Or take a comic literally somehow even when it's clear through the performance that they're not being literal. And the exercise itself is stagecraft, so clearly - the audience isn't there to see a dissertation on something.

But in some ways, I think the over-sensitivity, which seems to me has continually increased over the last couple of decades, to the point of - abandoning sense, critical thinking and even the most shallow of comedic depth perception, is driving some comedians to temper their craft, but it's driving others to the right. Also I think the social-safety culture is causing more comedy to spring up on the right.

I think that's sometimes how it works too, is - the more pressure you apply to the soil, the more comedy sprouts. In that sense of - pressure or the oppression that leads to it, creates a need to vent. And if you can't flip over a police car, or take up arms, or whatever else, I think humor is a thing that people turn to. And also often it's a thing that oppressive governments will censor first.

So I think - we may be seeing the left actually attempting to drive comedy into a more mainstream and socially homogenized direction, which possibly leads to more comedic sprouts popping up from the right.

Comics on the left might be inclined to fall in line with the status quo. Comics on the right will be more vocal and more inclined to attempt to push through that. Which could lead to almost an evolutionary shift in comedy in the US.

But same here - I don't know where I'm going with this and I must get some sleep.