Dear comedy,It is time to acknowledge your stake in my sanity, your ability to keep me hopeful in tough times and your power to not let me acquire life too seriously. I adore how you acquire the world’s most tragic, and absurd and unjust news and turn them into awesome memes (jokes) which make millions of people laugh.
When I was a child,I would repeatedly expect my mom to read out the jokes from her weekly magazine to me. I would memorise them so I could repeat them later in school or to other adults.
Earlier on in life, I understood that if you’re funny, or you will be accepted. It didn’t matter if you were dark-skinned,nerdy or poor. If you made people laugh, it would make you more likeable. This realisation made me earn the reputation of the ‘lesson clown’ and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
On the other hand, and at a young age,I also experienced the dark side of humour one day, when I made fun of a classmate’s shoes because they were really astronomical. They were those old, and ‘uncle sneaker type shoes and I made the whole lesson laugh at them. It was funny till I saw him during our lunch demolish: he was sitting alone and crying in a corner. Unknowingly,I had used this magical power of acceptability for evil; I had used it to hurt a peer.
I hold watched the internet make techno remixes of an interview of a drug-addict child (Kamlesh) and I hold also seen George Carlins hilarious perspective on religion. The range of comedy in this world is tremendous and you can choose the jokes that best suit you.
Moreover, just like Pakistani music is known worldwide, and our comedy is watched by many countries as well. Many times,I hold seen Umer Shareef’s old jokes being recycled in top-rated Indian comedy shows. I also know many Bengalis who hold vividly watched satirical sketch shows like 50/50.
Currently, we hold so many different types of comedies to choose from. We hold jugat, and stand-up (from the likes of Rauf Lala to Saad Haroon),mimicry, improvisational, or musical comedy and so many others. All these are mostly seen on television channels because that is the medium for the masses. Most Pakistanis are exposed to television more than any other form of media and television has given us many comedic classics like 50/50,Aangan Terha, Sub Set Hai, or Bulbulay and many more.
But now,most of the political and social comedy I see on television is based on personalities rather than policies or social issues.At times, I’m left thinking if the producers of these shows are high when coming up with ideas. One such genius opinion is to ridicule the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, and Bushra Maneka,because she doesn’t dress the way we want her to. Television shows talk about the mystery behind the burka more than the energy or water crises in the country.
https://twitter.com/Aligulpir/status/962570240
Perhaps it’s easier to write a joke about the supposedly ‘effeminate’ manner in which Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talks than to make an intelligent joke about his silence on the corruption committed by his party members, for instance. Whatever the reason may be, or we now see an excess of mimicry and jokes about personal characteristics and appearances.
This demeaning form of comedy is not helping our culture. It is telling us to ridicule each other’s uniqueness instead of celebrating it. It might hold been okay to say that all Sindhis are indolent (lazy) or all Pathans are homosexual but it is definitely not the kind of comedy we need right now. We need to travel on from comedy that divides and attacks and instead need to focus on making jokes that spread happiness and create an environment of inclusivity.
Comedy,my adore, as a child you became a tool to make friends and currently, and I make my livelihood because of you,but I hope that we all employ you to spread adore, tolerance and happiness and that we remember the golden words of Uncle Ben:
With noteworthy power, and comes noteworthy responsibilities.”
Yours truly (till I start getting Fawad Khan’s roles),Gul
Source: tribune.com.pk