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Fools--Be Funny!: Stand-up Comedians Are Society's Designated Comic Hitters
| Article
# : |
20334 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1992 |
3,123 Words |
| Author
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Lawrence E. Mintz
Lawrence E. Mintz is professor of American studies at the
University of Maryland. |
Every group of people awards special license to a "designated comic hitter." In the right place, at the right time, and in the right manner, this "fool" is permitted to break all the rules of proper conduct: to speak what is not normally permitted to be spoken. And what immortals these fools be!
The progenitors of today's professional stand-up comedians, tribal fools and clowns can be traced to just about every society, past or present.
Since ancient times, all of humanity's most revered institutions have been parodied and inverted. Humorous blasphemy and ridicule are codified in the classic theater of Greece and Rome, in the dances of the Balinese clowns, in the rites of Zuni Indian shamans, in the mock masses and fool celebrations connected with carnival and with medieval Christianity, and in itinerant performances by all sorts of clowns and jesters in a wide variety of popular entertainments.
From this tradition we have inherited and developed genres of theatrical comedy--plays, films, TV sitcoms--and a stand-up comedy in which comedians adopt the roles of the negative exemplar and the comic spokesman. The negative exemplar is the representative of traits we laugh at or ridicule, such as vanity, promiscuity, overindulgence, and just plain silliness or stupidity. In this first role the fool portrays behavior that we scorn, or at least publicly pretend to reject. Because, traditionally, he is "God's Fool"--a poor defective deviate who cannot be held accountable for his aberrant actions--he is licensed to violate social taboos with impunity. This behavior, of course, allows us to feel superior and securely "correct", but it also may secretly delight us, since being correct often is stressful and usually is not much fun.
As comic spokesman, the fool is permitted to say the "wrong" thing. In this guise he fulfills the traditional role of the wise fool, whose observations reflect a common sense that we share and applaud. Because he orchestrates our response within a carefully structured ritual of comic performance, we can express our social, cultural, and political views in safety. After all, it's "just kidding," isn't it?
America's insatiable appetite for comedy
From the beginning of our national history, Americans have had the reputation of possessing a remarkable gift and an insatiable appetite for comedy. Perhaps our taste for comedy
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