When you think about comedy, you may think jokes that are from your own world setting. If your from the United States, you think of stuff that perhaps Bill Cosby or Jeff Foxworthy has said. If your from Europe you may think of your own stand-up comedians.
When a people don't have comedians or enough comedians, then they tend to make fun of their perceived enemies. Its human nature. Comedy brings a smile and I believe brings happiness in the form of some endorphin like chemicals in the body. It causes people to put down their defenses and ease their attacks. I also think it gives the brain a pause. This pause is a pause from serious business. Have you ever heard a stressed out person laugh? They overly laugh. They are laugh louder and longer, sometimes for a half hour or so. Laughter is a needed thing for the brain and the body.
Wondrously and in the mist of wars and attacks and fighting and stress, comes these stories here and there of comedians coming from the Muslim world. What?! Comedy from/for Muslims? Isn't that a faux pas? Or is it?
NPR did a story on a Arab-American comedian. You can check out the story here. His name is Dean Obeidallah and he is in the middle of a Comedy movement that is being embraced by the Middle Eastern world. Apparently there are some young Muslim comedians coming out of the woodwork as well.
Comedy is a great medium. You can share almost anything with it. People tend to empathize in a comedy context. You can also share social issues from stupidity to abuses. Laughing at oneself is a very powerful empathizing technique form of communication. If you can laugh at yourself you can get the ear of the most hard hearted person.
Can comedy change the world? I think it can. I think it will also take time. A generation has to grow up with it and embrace it as their own.
Incidentally one of my favorite types of books to read are books written by stand-ups,oh, and also Dave Berry.
No comments:
Post a Comment