Disability Humor & Monthly Faves

No, that’s not an oxymoron 😊

In My Comedy Appreciation Era

I remember awhile back, several people warned me not to watch Dave Chapelle’s stand-up special. They told me he had made fun of disabled people and it was abhorrent. So obviously, I immediately opened Netflix on my iPad and watched it. He made two or three jokes about disability. One of them I loved because it brought awareness to the unfairness of always relegating us to the back of any venue. The other made fun of our movement or speech or something which I’m insanely insecure about already so, validation? I don’t know where the line is between funny and just plain mean. Does it have more to do with how secure you are in your identity?

Photo by Michel Grolet on Unsplash

In comedy, it’s always said that comics should punch up, not down. I was kind of, dare I say, *happy* that we were being included. That Dave doesn’t see us as “down.” That he sees us as “normal” enough to take a punch. That we finally have a seat at the proverbial zeitgeist-ey table. I wasn’t totally happy with the perpetuation of stereotypes but I did feel some level of satisfaction.

Recently, I saw a video of the stand-up comedian Matt Rife. He’s wildly problematic and not particularly funny but I’ve continued to follow him because he’s become known for his crowd work, and he doesn’t shy away from involving people in wheelchairs. The video was of his recent interaction with a woman in a wheelchair at one of his shows. There were mostly cringe-worthy jokes that missed the mark but a few pretty funny ones. “That would be drinking and driving.”

At the end of the bit, the woman captured my sentiments exactly. She said to the comedian, “Thanks for making fun of disabled people too.” It’s the inclusion that’s so significant here. The comments on the video are full of pity, of course, but we have to start somewhere. Was it received better because there was a disabled person laughing with the comedian?

Monthly Faves

TV: The Last of Us (Max) - post-apocalyptic show that (almost) has Game of Thrones level writing and production. Once you get past the zombies, it’s a beautiful story about humanity and what we mean to each other. If you strip everything away from civilization, what remains and what is reborn?

Book: The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells - beautifully written story about navigating grief. The story follows three German siblings who are orphaned at a young age as they try to find meaning and happiness in their lives. Watch my TikTok review!

Podcast: Diabolical Lies - I have to give this podcast another shout-out. It’s so entertaining and informative. Their most recent episode, The Rise and Fall of Capitalism, they made a joke comparing the US’s hatred of Fidel Castro to Regina George calling him a “fugly slut” in the burn book. Love a good millennial reference!

Quote: “Because the sunset, like survival, exists only on the verge of its own disappearing. To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.”

―Ocean Vuong,On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Song: Azizam by Ed Sheeran - it means “my beloved” in Farsi. Worked with an Iranian producer and writer

Okay, that’s all for now! Back to work—almost done with second semester!

See ya ✌🏽 in a month!

Yours,

Harshada