For our second East
Kent Salon we are lucky to have comedians Francis Foster and Oliver Double
leading our discussion.
Date: Thursday January 30th, 7-9 pm,
Venue: The City Arms Inn, 7 Butchery Lane,
Canterbury CT1 2JR
Satire: the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or
ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in
the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
In the past satire has most often been about challenging the politics and sensibilities of the establishment. Many
argue it serves that function today. After all, Donald Trump and Boris Johnson – satirised by Punt and Dennis, Josie Long, Frankie Boyle and a host of
others - can hardly claim to be of humble means.
Others see much of today’s satirical
comedy output as aimed – either directly or by implication - at the ordinary
voting public who put their cross against Trump in the USA, or for Brexit in the UK. Recent polls
suggest pro-Leave posh Boris is 20 points ahead of (also posh) Jeremy amongst
non-posh C2DE voters. So, is satire 'punching up' or 'punching down'?
Marcus
Brigstocke has talked about people walking out during his anti-Brexit
routine. A recent Nish
Kumar charity gig, featuring gags at the expense of Boris and Brexit, was met with boos
and the throwing of a bread roll. Madeleine
Grant argued in the Telegraph that ‘Brexit-deranged comedians are now
Britain’s biggest bores’. Kumar
joked of his critics ‘I would like to apologise if I triggered any of them’.
Chris Rock stopped
playing US college gigs because of what he saw as the students’ conservative
views: ‘Not in their political views — not like they’re voting Republican — but
in their social views and their willingness not to offend anybody.’ US stand up
Dave
Chapelle has been criticised for hate speech in routines referring to MeToo
and transgenderism. His response? ‘I am sorry if I hurt anybody, etc etc etc,
yada yada yada, everything I am supposed to say…’ UK comedian Alistair
Williams claimed that ‘Because I am
a comedian that supports Brexit you can no longer find me on the comedy club
circuit’.
It can seem at times that comedy is engaged in a mini culture war between wokeness and offence giving. If so, what
of the casualties? Can jokes be hate speech, causing harm to minorities? Are
comedians who transgress deserving of censure? How would Lenny Bruce get on in
today’s comedy world? Does ‘punching up’ or ‘punching down’ really matter –
after all, it's only comedy.
Francis Foster and Oliver
Double will introduce the discussion, but the Salons are all about the audience
– come along and discuss Comedy in the Age of Trump and Brexit in the
bar at the City Arms Inn in Canterbury.
Francis Foster is a comedian described
as ‘ridiculous man who hails from the
lands of Venezuela and Wigan by way of south London’. He co-hosts, along with
Konstantin Kisin, the Triggernometry
podcast. There is a great pic of Francis
on his web site.
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Entry to the discussion is £5 (£3 concessions). Discussion is in the bar, and
food is available, so please patronise our generous hosts at The City Arms Inn
(if you want to eat at the City Arms Inn, arrive early and get your order in
before 6.30pm)
https://standupny.com/learning-to-take-a-joke/