The American Indian Comedy Jam special we were watching in class just the other day was an interesting peek into the feelings of contemporary Native Americans, the techniques to spread information, and the rhetoric they used.
First and foremost, I would like to know what particular audience they were trying to reach with the show. Probably, every person from every race, color, and creed. It’s not like they were trying to segregate their audience. But here’s what gets me: they started the show with the angriest comedian I’ve seen in a while. Yes, Dr. Morris pointed out that Charlie Hill is considered the father of Native American comedy, and yes, she discussed that Mr. Hill would be considered a more angry Native American. However, if their goal was to start out the show with a blast to non-natives, they certainly achieved it. Chronologically, it made sense to start with the father of Native American comedy. But his style can easily shut off the minds of non-natives who were watching the special. His jokes were bold and loud and aggressive. In this way, I think it was terribly foolish for them to start the show with Charlie Hill.
If you stuck around to watch more of the show, it was a jarring experience to go from Charlie Hill to Howie Miller. Mr. Miller was very laid back, very soft in his comedic approach. I enjoyed him very much.
Of the 4 that we watched in class on Tuesday, I would have to say that Vaughn Eaglebear was my favorite. I enjoy a good, dry one-liner. His awkward body language did not make me feel uneasy or bothered, unlike some of my peers. I could see how that could put some people on edge. However, It kept you on your toes, paying attention to his jokes. He reminded me of the late Mitch Hedberg. He was phenomenal with dry one-liners that you didn’t know they were jokes until he was already moving onto the next joke. His body language was also very stiff and very awkward. He had a habit of covering as much of his face as possible with his hair, a quirk that sort of had the same effect as Mr. Eaglebear’s tipsy movements.
My biggest issue with JR Redwater was his volume. The closest thing I can compare him to is Dane Cook. Dane Cook is very loud and very much in your face. Mr. Redwater’s jokes were mostly funny, but the volume threw me off at times.
Overall, it was a great special. It was fascinating to me to see the amazing but subtle differences in how the audience reacted to some of the jokes that would have otherwise been supremely racist coming from a non-native person. It was fun to hear well-known songs substituted with different, very funny words. I always love a good parody.
I can see how some people would be hesitant to watch such a comedy special. They might go into it thinking, well these are all Native Americans, they must be angry and they’ll probably spend their time bashing whites. Which is a foolish thought. Spending any extended length of time bashing anyone gets tiresome and quickly loses its comedic glow. And they’re still people like the rest of us. Not all of their humor is necessarily going to be about Native American life. Like Mr. Redwater’s joke about the club dancing. That wasn’t Native American specific. That’s something we all know and experience.
That's a very interesting take. I thought that starting the show with Charlie Hill was very fitting, just for the simple fact that he just snatches the attention of his audience. As one of the most oppressed and ignored people in this country's history, they have every right to be angry.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying about the network making a mistake by beginning the show with Charlie Hill. It may have turned some people off. However, it is not often that mainstream media showcases Natives or gives THEM rhetorical sovereignty. So it was vital that this outlet was used to the fullest extent. Not just for comedy, but to make a statement. And Charlie Hill most definitely made a statement. It was also crucial to start with him because it sends the message that even though everyone on the show was a comedian and a comic's job is to make people laugh, it is also their job to make people think. And these comedians had the exigency to make people THINK about native issues, to remember (or learn for the first time) that natives are modern people, and to remind people of their history. For these reasons, Charlie Hill was a great choice.
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