In the line of comedy- India Got Latent

"Educating through comedy is a science, while cascading through comedy is an art; however, promoting crassness in the name of humour is a new-age business." - Numerounity

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No, I am not writing code or developing a new coding language. I’m pointing out the “standard template” for modern comedy, whether stand-up or motion picture in which creativity takes a backseat, abusive language rides the pillion and churns out ad nauseam in the name of comedy/humour. 

The "Golden rules" of today's comedy- jokes that start and expand from sex, curses, animal abuse, handicaps, genitals, parents, religions, wives, and whatnot. None have been spared for popularity and show footfalls. Humour me, no, humiliating someone so we can laugh is the new mantra but alas, are they making any sense except for a momentary laugh or venting pent-up frustration. Feels good, right?

The new culture of roast is a perfect example of how your mental well-being is linked to destroying someone else's. Humor? Oh, forget that, let’s just humiliate people so we can laugh. Makes so much sense, right? But honestly, is any of this making a real point or just serving up a cheap laugh and a place to vent all our bottled-up frustration?

It has an audience. An audience that doesn't know how to express things but uses only expletives to show solutions. And boundaries? Pfft, we’ve totally crossed them. Remember when some of this stuff used to feel edgy and fresh? Yeah, now it’s just lazy, predictable, and kind of sad.

Ah! There are "venting rooms" created to vent out, but what do you see at the end when the dust settles down? Broken Commodities and broken people that can not be repaired back. Right? The same happens with the fabric of society-especially the youth. People are using perverse humour to cover up their own incompetence, pretending it’s some kind of solution, machoism or liberation. Someone needs to call this out already, someone needs to not dress it up anymore.

Freedom of speech is not the problem, the problem is there is no line, no Lakshman Rekha as we are so evolved or global. Unfortunately, like a "koop mendhak" [water well's frog], our mentality doesn't rise above cuss or curse, while we make jokes about other's mentality or act, we forget the fact the joke is on us, literally and yet not funny.

The Irresponsible Influence

On one hand, we are talking about sex education, other we are making fun of it. How?

Let's take an example- "Vagina". The word has been so casually used these days, that they have made leering, demeaning jokes about the vulva, without respecting the boundaries- Why? because the West is doing it, even though the joke is lost in cultural transition or missed in translation. 

People tried so hard to say- vaginas that they are making open vulgar jokes about the human anatomy and works without understanding that they also have lines and boundaries but the jokes don't. Saying Vagina was taboo at once upon a time,[and it still at larger demographics including where it needs to be said]. 

While making fun of the taboo, to inculcate modern education, it has been reduced to such cringe, making you miss the era when you felt that taboo or restriction was better than this over-borrowed, over-hyped modernism. 

Roasting, another mindless borrowed Western art, has become something that we proudly translate into our local language to sound cooler and relevant. It is like crack cocaine, designed to give you an instant high but not healthy. 

Ouch! And that joke on "Hypocrisy"? Fat or body shaming is the best example wherein our so-called, highly-paid influencers are either glorifying it or shaming it at any probable opportunity. 

As social media evolves, from blogs to pictures to large format videos to small reels to now podcast culture, we have roasted our own capabilities, not in a lighter vein but jugular jibe, while taking false pride. Sadly, it is not limited to just stand-up but leadership at large. 

Article 19 says you have freedom of speech but then there are certain reasonable restrictions too, that people conveniently overlook or manipulate basis the shuffle of power and opportunity. In the wake of the recent "India's Got Latent Controversy", you wonder where the buck stops? Well, that's another debate, and probably an already lost case where the bounce rate of such leaders is lower or almost nil as compared to the said influencers who still hold higher following and reach. However, that should not be your excuse to churn crass to climb up the algorithm or hashtag trend.

To sum it up "With greater power comes the greatest responsibility". The power doesn't rest just with people occupying the chair, but also with people holding the mike. It is good to have a voice, reach and power but we must exercise it in the right capacity, and use it to educate, and uplift rather than downgrade or harm. Phew! In today's digital age, when things can turn from viral sensation to unforgivable scandal overnight, it is imperative to juggle creative liberty with decency, delicately and responsibly. 

Twitter @numerounity | Instagram @numerounity

Disclaimer: This post is not targeted at any specific individual/group or stand-up comedy in totality, but aims at calling out the crass in the name of humour. Not for scandal-hearted.