How Race Affects Comedy
First-Year Seminar
18 September 2013
Race and Its Audience Race is a very sensitive topic both historically and in the contemporary United States. There is an invisible line that should be kept in mind with dealing with the subject. If at all possible, I would say to avoid crossing the line. The way that people discuss race has changed a lot through the years. A long time ago, race was a taboo kind of subject so it was necessary to be careful not to offend people of other races. Nowadays, people are more open about it. While race has become an open topic of discussion, I would say it still depends on the audience listening. With that said, I believe it is still possible to go too far. In order to accommodate all types of audiences when discussing race, people use a variety of means such as comedy, essays, and dramatic films. All people have their own way to approach the subject. For some, it may be best to approach the topic in a friendly manner. In this case the use of comedy would be a great approach. People like Key and Peele use comedic videos to display racial stereotypes. An example is their video called “Substitute Teacher”. In this video they demonstrate, in a way that many people would find very funny, the stereotype of black people talking certain ways and having names different than white people(Youtube.com). A benefit of using comedy is that it loosens people up. People tend to respond well to jokes, so why not incorporate them in very touchy subjects?
2
This approach may not be completely effective though. For comedy to be understood, the person watching would have to find something the comedian is saying familiar to them. If the audience does not understand at all, then it may not be funny and could come across worse than the comedian had hoped. Comedy that has to deal with the topic of race has changed very significantly throughout the years. Years ago the comedy may have hit slightly on the sensitive topics of race. But as time has
18 September 2013
Race and Its Audience Race is a very sensitive topic both historically and in the contemporary United States. There is an invisible line that should be kept in mind with dealing with the subject. If at all possible, I would say to avoid crossing the line. The way that people discuss race has changed a lot through the years. A long time ago, race was a taboo kind of subject so it was necessary to be careful not to offend people of other races. Nowadays, people are more open about it. While race has become an open topic of discussion, I would say it still depends on the audience listening. With that said, I believe it is still possible to go too far. In order to accommodate all types of audiences when discussing race, people use a variety of means such as comedy, essays, and dramatic films. All people have their own way to approach the subject. For some, it may be best to approach the topic in a friendly manner. In this case the use of comedy would be a great approach. People like Key and Peele use comedic videos to display racial stereotypes. An example is their video called “Substitute Teacher”. In this video they demonstrate, in a way that many people would find very funny, the stereotype of black people talking certain ways and having names different than white people(Youtube.com). A benefit of using comedy is that it loosens people up. People tend to respond well to jokes, so why not incorporate them in very touchy subjects?
2
This approach may not be completely effective though. For comedy to be understood, the person watching would have to find something the comedian is saying familiar to them. If the audience does not understand at all, then it may not be funny and could come across worse than the comedian had hoped. Comedy that has to deal with the topic of race has changed very significantly throughout the years. Years ago the comedy may have hit slightly on the sensitive topics of race. But as time has