“I hope we all learned something tonight, about each other, about our similarities, our differences, and perhaps we made a positive step toward co-existing in this crazy country called Canada. If not, hell, give us the land back.” Said Don Burnstick as a closing joke in the Founding Nations of Comedy segment at the 2006 Winnipeg Comedy Festival. His joke was met with a chunk of laughter, completely successful. Writing comedy is like wielding a sword. If you're not careful you can end up injuring others and yourself, but at the same time people arrive to the comedy genre with their defenses lowered. Because of that, comedy is one of the best tools for discussing difficult subjects. Where in debates everyone has their shackles raised and the only objective is too win, where as readers we often gravitate to essays or articles looking for affirmation to our shaky ideas, when we watch a stand-up or any other type of comedic performance we are just there for a good time and some laughs. Hannah Gadsby said comedians are all about building up and then diffusing the tension. The punch line then gives permission to the audience to dissolve any uneasiness the set up may have brought them in a fit of giggles. There is no better way to build said tension than through discussing politics and social inequality, that’s why so many cultures have a saying that goes something like “At the table you don’t speak about politics or religion or money.” However no one says you can’t joke. There are many types of comedy: tragic, mimicry, surreal, poopy humor, etc. Therefore not all comedy excels at asking people for critical thinking, sometimes things are just funny you know. But it is telling that we have many different ways to criticize the way society is built through it: Habit/Custom - which criticizes the morals of society. Character - a type of comedic play in which the vices of its characters are a reflection of the human condition. Satire - its goal is to make a compelling critical argument against society (and order sometimes). Parody - that depending how its use, it can help institutions (and people) in power lose it. Example: Jojo Rabbit. There are many incredible comedians out there that make their audience think about the infrastructure of their daily lives, one of the most outstanding has been Charlie Hill, long rest in peace. His comedy was very much centered in the native experience - both good and bad- and he welcomed the non-native audience to listen and laugh along. One of my favorites quotes from him is from his 1983 skit: “It’s never been cowboys and indians -that’s kind of a myth- it’s been government and indians. Now it is white folks and black folks and all living things. Really, we’re really brothers and sisters, man, but the way James White is going and Reagan…yeah.” By the end of his career he was invited to the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and it is jarring and painfull how little his script has changed over the years. The announcer even introduces him with this joke: “Back when he started aborginal people struggle to achieve equality and justice and he vowed to perform until that day came along. Well, looks like the poor guy will never be able to retire.” For all the talk about punchlines and punching up or down, comedy seeks to soften the blows unlike drama who tries to heighten them therefore they often land more firmly in the audience's mind. Trust is crucial to comics, not only to obtain laughter but also to send a message; the performer establishes rules about relatability and a humorous tone. Hard stuff may be talked about and even if it isn’t funny we can either cry or laugh and we collectively choose to laugh. Before I conclude, I want to talk about the bigoted side of comedy. A lot of people use “is just a joke” or “is comedy” to justify their prejudice but as people have said, if you have to explain that a joke is a joke, then it isn’t funny. I fully believe that comedy is a weapon against oppressive structures and a healing instrument to cope with trauma and other taboo subjects and I hate when people use it to reaffirm said terrible systems. Charlie Hill wasn’t the only native comedian at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, there was Howie Miller and his dry humor, Craig Lauzon mixing textual and visual comedy perfectly, Gerry Barret and his witty word play, and Don Burnstick who I quoted at the beginning. There is the Three Sisters Comedy (a.k.a. Ladies of Native Comedy): Deanna MAD and her incredible dance moves, Teresa Choyguha and her casual but entertaining approach to taboo subjects and Adrianne Chalepah the creator of the group (she’s very good, I just don’t know how to describe her performance. Is amazing! Ok?). I am insisting for you to watch their videos on Youtube and see the power of comedy with your own eyes. Who is your favorite comedian? Tell us in the comments. Ari Ochoa Petzois a Mexican-Venezuelan bi genderfluid writer. They like dancing to old music and history. In their free time you can find xem trying to coerce their friends to participate in another of their crazy projects.
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