Introduction
The racial humor in America gained prominence in the late 19th century when several theater industries started to alter normal trickster jokes by journalists to contents involving racial and ethnic connotations. It is during this period that comic strips accompanied by film comedy emerged in the theaters. Later on, several actors and comedians emerged with different performances and language use involving racial jokes. Some of these comedians included George Lopez, Inder Monacha, Dave Chappell, Chris Rock and Russell Peter among others.
Main discussion
George Lopez, who was born in Los Angeles, focused much of his comedy on Mexican and American relationships. This was because in his younger age, he had interacted much with the two communities. His first album which was an instant hit was released in 1996. When Lopez was questioned over the racial aspect in his comedy, he admitted to using some racial language. He however reiterated that the use of the racial language was not meant to discriminate against anyone but purely meant for laughter.
On the other hand, Inder Monacha attracted a lot of criticism among the audience from his âAsian Shopkeepersâ jokes for reinforcing stereotypes. On his part, he has defended himself by claiming that his jokes come from the vicinity and are not meant to cause any harm against anyone in the society. Most of his jokes revolve around color and cultural variations especially among Asians and Europeans.
The Indian childhood and racial stereotypes are the major areas covered by Peter Russell since the start of his performance in 1989.This has earned him several prestigious awards like Gemini and Best Male Comic award in Canada. Several of his comic shows feature cultural and ethnic variations in a manner that encompass several impressions. His popularity can be linked to the way he incorporates the participation of his audience in the shows. This is despite the fact that the comedy has a racial dimension to it. Russell has tried to maintain his performance style ignoring the critics especially on his frequent negative comments on mixed relationships. Russell fathersâ death has been linked to his sonâs performance due to the fact that it occurred immediately after the release of a DVD which was based on him.
Though many of us see the utterances made by these comedians as pure fun, in reality they have a bigger dimension that many of us care to admit. These utterances encourage segregation in social places. These include schools, restaurants and rental houses. A good example is the case of a comment made by actor Dave Chappelle during one of his performances that almost caused a fight. (Raskin pages 150-284)
Conclusion
It is important to note that racial utterances are classified as a criminal offence in the U.S constitution. Though many of us see these gimmicks as purely meant to make us laugh, they might be going a long way in causing the racial attacks we are witnessing in our country. The government should be firm on such matters if we are to become a democratic country that we purport to be. The next time we attend those racial humor shows, it will be important to put ourselves in the shoes of those whom the attacks are directed to. It is only then that we will be able to know where the shoe pinches most.
Works Cited
Raskin, Victor. Semantic mechanisms of humor. Ed. Vol 24. Springers: 1985. Page 150-284. Print.