For the fourth time in the past three months, I watched the stand up comedic shows at The Comedy Store in Mumbai, a franchise of the original English enterprise by the same name. To be honest, it is a wonderful alternative way to spend an evening, particularly in Mumbai where one tends to get straight-jacketed into a multiplex or a restaurant and very little else otherwise for leisure.
And last evening’s show was a riot! Practically flawless, it had all the ingredients of tongue-n-cheek, slapstick, profane innuendoes and a highly sporting audience that participated in being the target of all of these.
Not to put a damper on the experience or that these should be misconstrued as being offended, I just find myself reflecting on the flip side of all the laughter.
As I played back the acts, the jokes in my mind, I realized that in that crowded auditorium sat about two hundred souls, including yours truly, who had sought escape for two hours from their respective routines to be subjected and subjects of a string of mockery and taunts that were sexist, racist, communal and well, in a civilized world, rude!
The environment is set to legitimize humor drawn from rather offensive, politically incorrect content. In fact, we are paying to make fun of and to be made fun of! What lies exposed and perhaps not analyzed enough is the human psyche that thrives on cruelty.
How different is this then from kids in a sandpit who single out the weak and amuse themselves with chiding and picking on them? This of course, is not condoned by us and often punished to a point where the humor in the moment is lost, no, isn’t allowed! How come then, the very same adults who police this natural instinct, are the ones who accept it as therapy?
Oh I get the whole ‘laughter triggers happy thoughts that up the levels of endorphins in our bodies’ and how good that is for our health. But at what cost are we claiming our share of laughter? Are we a species that is hard-wired to survive by putting down one another? Is this simply a social transformation where we’ve evolved from senseless mob oriented physical abuse to a structured, seemingly civilized congregation of mockery?
Is humor or a sense of it overrated? Is it what makes us excessively tolerant towards an unhealthy abuse? Think about it. When Bush set off on his tyrannical rampage of the Middle East, the number of jokes that were created and circulated could fill an erstwhile copy of the Oxford Dictionary (erstwhile because there’s a diktat that the new updated versions will only be published online from now onwards). Why, closer to home and in recent times, look at the number of jokes we’ve consumed on the debacle of the upcoming Commonwealth Games – all meant to make us take it with a sack of salt.
I guess then laughter is no laughing matter. Or then maybe it is. Either ways, feel free to laugh off these random thoughts on a random Sunday from a random blogger.
For now, I’m off to watch Tom & Jerry cartoons for a laugh.
MA
Its interesting to note that MOST comedy is based on the troubles of others.
In sitcoms, funny movies or political jokes, the protagonist is NOT the one having a good time.
I personally think the world is becoming too sensitive & politically correct.
Too many people protesting their ‘feelings have been hurt’ by some movie, book, art work etc.
If they dont like it, they dont need to see it
… and so Atlas shrugged!
Great article M. In my opinion anything – laughter or otherwise – at the expense of someone else knowingly and then repeatedly can be a problem. The line is afcourse is very fine and depending on the person on the receiving end it will be medicine, masochism or the meanie.
Having said that when you pay for laughter expect it to be a mix of all of the above and enjoy the hell out of the it – its a passport for anything goes! In your personal life it’s a whole other fine story
thank you Ma’am! still laughing… this time for the right reasons…