When guys say “Suck it” I always reply with “Sorry, small objects are a choking hazard.”
– Twistedhumours69
As I write this column, a Singapore comedian is at the receiving end of brickbats from Malaysians and her own country over a joke that she told recently.
It is understood that she did so during a stand-up session at Comedy Cellar in New York – considered as the best comedy club in the United States of America.
Now, for some context, the US has been home to comedians who are unafraid to push boundaries in their materials – even going as far as telling jokes that are in bad taste.
The joke that this particular comedian made has been described as just that – in bad taste. It was something along the line of MH370 – the still missing flight – which she reportedly described as “jokes don’t land”.
I mean, that’s out there. Definitely out there. I have to admit that I do enjoy the occasional joke about the state of the country told by comedians at our expense, but this is something else.
It lacked empathy as well as sensitivity. Perhaps in preparing her material, the penchant for dark humour took her over and made it into the final set of cue cards.
She may have doubts as to the subject of the appropriateness of the joke itself prior but she chose to deliver that joke regardless. Probably a big mistake.
If you don’t understand the magnitude of the howler, get this: The Singapore government had to go to the extent of apologising to Malaysians on her behalf.
It came very close to sparking an international crisis and could possibly have damaged strong the bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Of course, those who still insist on arguing for the contrary might say it’s humour – and that people, both in Malaysia and Singapore don’t understand humour.
But then again, I think both countries can pride itself for having vibrant comedy scenes for many years – telling innocent and self-depreciating jokes all without inciting an international incident.
While we, Malaysia and Singapore would have our quarrels on the matter of origin for our delicacies – Indonesia included – I think the common values that we share are empathy, morals and manners.
That is exactly why this particular joke – which has none of those three – has not been well received. That is one possible explanation I can think of not forgetting how traumatic an experience this MH370 episode was for the families of the victims.
Perhaps I am being too harsh – perhaps I didn’t criticise Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng who is better known for his Uncle Roger persona when the former made a joke about China.
But see, the difference is that while Uncle Roger did tell a joke about China, and he did receive a backlash for that, the joke that was made did not border on the lines of sensitivity or exploiting a tragedy.
Now in my day job, besides writing and the occasional photo taking, I also took on the responsibility of preparing talking points or text of speeches.
The main thing I am looking for before I begin to do either of those – the talking points for the speaker is to understand the context.
What is my audience? Is it the intellectual or is it the general public? What are their education levels? What are their backgrounds? What are the issues that might affect them? What are the things that can be said that will give meaning to them?
Those are the questions that I ask myself. Understanding context is important to fully address the audience. If we don’t get that right, the repercussions could be severe.
I mean, can you imagine a small-time YB explaining the complexities and intricacies of geo-politics to an audience of kampung folks? They don’t, and they stick to matters pertaining to bread-and-butter issues.
Things like how we can increase agriculture crop yield, community safety, social cohesion and the litany of assistances and schemes provided by the government. These are issues that concern this particular audience.
Likewise for urban folks, they are more concerned about issues of education, transportation and the nation’s political situation. So, talk about that.
At all times, speakers, be it a small-time YB or a comedian should understand context.
Probably in the context of the USA, this joke by the Singaporean comedian is sharp as a tack and probably gets rousing reception. In the Malaysia context, not so much.
There is a line. Today, it’s either getting more blurred or being re-drawn to no end.
Regardless, we must respect those, whether we are comedians, writers, politicians or just the normal everyday Joe.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
