In a Binary Country, Comics Open a Window to the Other Side

In the increasingly polarized sociopolitical climate of the United States, it can be extremely difficult to find the time and space for meaningful discussion of controversial, fundamental, and deeply dividing issues such as mass incarceration, reproductive rights, healthcare, and climate change, to name a few. For most, the opinions of those around them--family, friends, coworkers, neighbors--shape their own opinions. Taking the time to form educated, personal opinions on every social justice issue plastering headlines and TV screens is time consuming, overwhelming, conflicting, and even existential. And if those opinions contradict those of the people around them, they might lead to awkward, unpleasant family dinners and forced laughter at coworkers' mildly political jokes. This leads most people to stick stubbornly to the opinions already formed for them by friends and family, and to a society where polarization isn’t just the norm, but also impossible to escape.

Enter: comedy. As a form of social justice, comedy is hardly new. Standup comedy in particular has become a medium which nowadays seems to invite discussion of topics normally too taboo for public audiences, with comics including Amy Schumer, Margaret Cho, and Ali Wong holding vivid, detailed, and for many, abject recounts of sexual endeavors and preferences which for any other medium, might be looked on as inappropriate and unseemly. 

The difference between comedy and other forms of expression is its social perception. While the prospect of a lengthy conversation about an awkward, stigmatized, and deeply personal topic such as sexuality might be daunting for many, a standup comedy special, about whatever topic, is meant to entertain. It’s easier to sit down and watch someone tell an exaggerated story about an unseemly sexual encounter than have a serious discussion about sexual freedom in the United States. In this way, comedy often reaches wider audiences than other forms of social justice campaigning. 

>> "...comedy penetrates the walls people put up to protect themselves from opposing viewpoints."

Furthermore, comedy penetrates the walls people put up to protect themselves from opposing viewpoints. Even if you don’t agree with a comedian, you can’t always help but laugh at their joke. And after you’ve laughed, can you really disagree? I mean, you clearly understood what they were getting at. Comedy opens the conversation about social justice topics in a more accessible way, while also forcing viewers to consider opposing viewpoints. In this way, it also unites audiences in agreement of a particular point, forcing those with opposing viewpoints (either the comedian and audience member or multiple audience members) to discard their differences briefly, helping depolarize the atmosphere of discussion.

In this same vein of thought, standup allows comics to expose their audiences to points of view that they may not normally be willing to consider. Ali Wong is a prime example of this type of standup. In her standup special “Don Wong,” she opens up the discussion about the sexuality of Asian women, according to NBC News. For Asian women, the hypersexualization of Asian women by Western culture and white men has led to fear surrounding conversations of sex as men buy into the narrative of the easy-to-take-advantage-of, submissive, Asian woman, leading to real consequences. Just last year, the suspect in Christina Yuna Lee’s horrific murder was charged with “sexually motivated burglary,” defined as committing burglary for the purpose of sexual gratification, along with first-degree murder and burglary.

>> "Wong provides a story of Asian American women not written by the white man..."

 Wong subverts this narrative of violence in speaking openly about her own sexual desires and preferences and contextualizing the female Asian American experience as one of joy and pleasure, instead of one defined by tragedy. Wong provides a story of Asian American women not written by the white man--an authentic portrayal of female sexuality, and one not often told in Western media. Her comedy allows Asian American women to embrace their sexual identity as much as any other part of themselves, and exposes her audience to a narrative they might not have considered before.

For the Asian American community, comedy has always been a way to poke fun at the absurdity of racial stereotypes and dismantle them along the way. Earlier Asian American comics paved the way for the rising prominence of Asian American comedians today--Ronny Chieng, Hasan Minhaj, Jo Koy, and Kimmy Yang are among the Asian American names most popular in standup comedy today. But, the environment in standup wasn’t always so inclusive, and still isn’t. Historically, Asian Americans have been punchlines, their facial features and stereotypes used to garner cheap laughs, especially on late-night shows, according to The Insider. Asian Americans account for an extremely small fraction of writers for television platforms--just 2.9% of guild members, according to a 2016 study from the Writers Guild of America West. The rising frontier of diverse comedy is a hopeful sign that Western audiences are embracing diverse representation on the stage and the screen, and diverse stories along with it. 

Cover image: IMDb | "Ali Wong in Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife (2018)"

Thumbnail images:

The Columbus Dispatch | "Take it from Margaret Cho: ‘We’re all wounded,’ and it’s OK to show it"

The Harvard Crimson | "‘Don Wong’ Review: Ali Wong Proves She’s the Boss in New Comedy Special"

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | "Hasan Minhaj does first show after New Yorker controversy in Milwaukee Riverside Theater"

Stage 13 | "Jimmy O. Yang"

Decider | "‘Jo Koy: Comin’ In Hot’ In Honolulu: From The Ghetto To The Getty"