There is no denial that the infamous attacks perpetrated by terrorists created the environment of fear in the U.S. that was excruciatingly difficult to overcome. Multiple efforts have been made to minimize the harm caused by prejudices toward Middle East residents, yet comedy might have been the most effective way. Once being able to laugh at their fears, people tend to recognize them for their unreasonable and inflated nature. In turn, “The Axis of Evil” must have been the show that helped to perpetuate the idea of Middle East people as intelligent, witty, and, most importantly, not dangerous to the safety of U.S. citizens (“Axis of evil comedy tour eng full show,” 2013). By demonstrating their sharp sense of humor combined with high rates of self-awareness, the participants of the show managed to case a positive change in the perception of Middle Easterners in the U.S. community.
“The Axis of Evil” served a crucial role in changing the perspectives of American citizens regarding Middle East residents. Namely, the show openly ridiculed the idea of fear toward any person of a Middle Eastern descent. From its very start, “The Axis of Evil” sets the tone and the mood immediately, becoming an epitome of a social satire that skewers prejudices uncompromisingly: “It’s great to see so many Middle Eastern people coming together in one place voluntarily” (“Axis of evil comedy tour eng full show,” 2013, 00:01:32-00:01:35). Thus, for American audiences, who were openly laughing at the jokes, “The Axis of Evil” was clearly the source of relief and the means of getting rid of the fear that had been haunting them for years.
In turn, taking the show to Middle East allows for a deeper understanding of the two cultures. Namely, while belonging to the Middle Eastern ethnicity, the creators of the how had embraced American culture fully before moving the show, which suggested that they could communicate some of the specifics of it to Middle Eastern people as well. Thus, the cultural exchange that the show provided could be seen as an important step in reconciling the cultural misunderstandings between the U.S. and the Middle East.
Admittedly, the show has a strong power to change the perceptions and preconceptions of those watching it. Personally, I would laugh at the same pointless prejudices long before I watched the show, yet “The Axis of Evil” has helped me to look at these prejudices and the situation, in general, from a different angle. Namely, I realized the pain that Middle Eastern citizens channeled through these jokes, as well as the challenges that they experienced when having to manage prejudiced attitudes toward them.
Additionally, the show has the power of changing how Middle Eastern residents see the U.S. Namely, representing it as overly panicking and nearly paranoid, the creators of “The Axis of Evil” made it possible to represent an image that was both understandable and sympathetic, even though irrational and quite ridiculous. For example, in an imagined scenario, the narrator says, “you actually think guys in Al-Qaeda are going to public libraries and taking books out” (“Axis of evil comedy tour eng full show,” 2013, 00:03:31-00:03:34), creating an image of a distressed and slightly paranoid but overall sympathetic character.
Due to the use of humor and sharp wit as the means of pointing out the absurdity of discrimination against people from Middle East, as well as Muslim people, in general, “The Axis of Evil” has served as a cultural shock to American citizens. Encouraging them to accept the idea of Middle Eastern people as peaceful and worthy of their respect and trust, the members of “The Axis of Evil” appealed to the core emotions of American citizens by making them laugh. In turn, laughter has produced a therapeutic and almost healing effect, allowing U.S. residents to embrace the humanity of other cultures, particularly, that one of Middle East citizens.
Reference
Axis of evil comedy tour eng full show. (2013). [Video] YouTube.