pond-goblin

[pond-goblin]

Did you know that before Covid 19 you could see live comedy up to 3 nights a week in St. John's?

These days it's less so but Thursday nights at Trappers is still on. I believe there is a night at The Station, and there is the occasional show at The Peter Easton.

That's enough shows for a decent, small, but thriving comedy community. And many of the names you'll recognize - Mike Lynch, Vicky Mullaly, Matt Wright - teethed on these rooms. They perfected their moves.

With that kind of success - these are working comics, touring comics- you'd think that the comedy community is healthy. But, surprise surprise, it's not. Surprise surprise, it's a hot bed of misogyny, a haven of little baby Jordan Petersons all gathered under their hoods of colonial patriarchy (they can access a dictionary, look them up, stop making excuses), feeling sorry for their own loss of powers, and finding, in comedy other men who share their views, who encourage their regressive behaviour with the weakest excuses of one sided rationale.

This is why the behaviour is dangerous. Comedy is work, and in the workplace today you get fired when you tell coworker that their only value in life is to reproduce. You would lose you job for being a known domestic abuser, rapist, racist - remember the dudes on the Lab airplane last year? - this kind of behavior is not put up with anymore. Except in comedy. In comedy this kind of behaviour is called 'jokes'. That only misogynists laugh at. Because, my friends, St. John's does not actually have a comedy scene, it has a men's rights group who pose as stand ups.

It's a scene without proper mentors. People leave here to make it big. If they make it big they don't come back. They come do a tour of the Arts & Culture centers between St. John's and Wabush and then they fuck off back to Halifax or Toronto where they can properly learn their chops and grow their careers. So the local scene doesnt get much tutelage in comedy ettiquette. That larger communities have proper diversity and a white man using the 'n' word (not newfie) is going to cause you to NOT get stage time.

When folks do move back from not making it, it's usually the mediocre comedians, who are bitter as fuck. 

They've had these big city comedy experiences, they are quick to tell you how the scene works in the big city. Or the parts that suit their own agenda. 'All patriarchal enforcing rules are sacred, so please, give us your rape jokes'.

If you are someone attending these shows you may have noticed that the ratio of cis white male comedians (and audience 'cause let's be honest - you're not attending these shows - or cult meetings as I like to call them) to, well, anyone else really, is high. You may have been told non cis white men arent interested in comedy. Show runners will say 'tried to get them on but they don't show, they canceled so they arent interested - right now I could launch into how this exists through out all types of work and how it is because the patriarchy -a man centric system of society where gender is binary and the female half of that is to have the babies and do the dishes. About how patriarchy has prevented those not under it's hood from advancing. About the glorification of the quiet, toe lining, mother and wife being the perfect woman. I could launch into how this is less and less tolerated in more and more social structures and workplaces - but you already know all that.

You know that the other folks arent there cause theyre exhausted from just trying to function as a secondary, tretiary human.

But there is another reason why there are less non cis dudes (and remember, racist) doing stand up. They are traumatized. Now, you may be thinking, 'Fuck off. Trauma is for veterans. They experience trauma, abused spouses and children. Telling jokes isn't traumatizing." And you're right. Telling jokes is liberating. It's an adrenaline rush. But the constant belittling of your work is traumatizing. 'You only tell political jokes, audiences can't relate to that', 'that women's humour, it's not for everyone'. If an employer and/or workmates did that they'd be a load of dicks. You could take your boss up on harassment charges.

They are traumatized because they HAVE been sexually assaulted and three nights a week they have to listen to a guy who has been brought up on confinement charges tell 'rape jokes' (when you're the raper it's funny, when you're the rapee, not so much). They are scared they are alone in a room dominated by men who think rape is funny. 

And (and possibly an enlightened but) these comedy victims are talking to one another. They know when a rapist is taken on tour, when a domestic abuser is on the line up, when the dude who tells the phobia bits is headlining. They feel unsafe, creeped out, grossed out. They have 'why they aren't a real comedian' splained to them by Shouty MC Smallpants. So they just opt out. They don't take part in open mics - or they do, until the constant nips at their humanity breaks them - and when you don't do the open mics, you don't get the paying gigs (not that they got those anyway. That's another reason why there are so few non cis white men in the scene. Did you know it takes 7 years longer for non cis white men to become professional rather than the 6 shows that cis white men have get under their belts?).

If an audience doesnt see themselves reflected on a stage, an aspiration of themselves, the material is unfamiliar to them, then they arent going to go to the shows.

How do i know this? Go to a comedy show. Look around. How many people aren't dudes? How many members of the audience are the nights performing comedians? How many jokes would you want someone you love to be the punchline of? At their place of work even? And if you don't see anything wrong with the evening's entertainment you are probably ripe for recruitment in the St. John's comedy scene. It's easy, ask a show runner for some time on an open mic and just get up there and punch down! Sure you'll be running your own room by the end of the month!

If you do see something wrong with it, here is how you can help. 

-If you are at a show and the performers for the evening are only dudes, complain to the host. Or the establishment (they want your returning dollars).

- If a joke is offensive, racist, marginalizing. Don't clap. Stay silent. Or speak up.

- Support shows with diversity on the line up. Make an extra effort to spend your dollars and your cheers on the folks who get the least time.

- Book marginalized comedians to do your shows, they need all the inclusive stage time they can get so they can grow.

- Call for leadership from senior comedians, producers, show runners. Tell them if they start acting like professionals, you'll treat them like professionals.

- Support local. It's deadly when Cecil and Mike's nan play Holy Heart - especially when comedy labourer Lisa Baker is opening - but the rest of year you can see weekly comedy in St. John's, head out to one and demand the best of the show. 

Now. Go Youtube some Leslie Jones, or Desiree Birch, or some Rosie Jones. Find some Lara Rae in the CBC archeives, she is everywhere there, and probably the most hard working, professional comedian in the country. Watch Miriam Margolys clips from the Graham Norton Show. Watch all the Eddie Izzard specials back to back.

There are humans in this city that are that funny. That arr inventive, outrageous, thoughtful, playful, progressive. They need the space and the respect to grow, to crack you up, without a single strangling joke in sight.

Check Facebook for weekly live comedy open mics. Demand equality, and respect.

[pond-goblin]

I have a question. There is a british comedian i've watched for years, Russell Howard, he is political, goofy, interviews a wide variety of humans - usually left leaning, often poc, women, folks with disabilities, little kids - decent bit of diversity. Now, come lately, I've thought that maybe he isn't as radical as me, but as few are, I have continued to watch. Sometimes I squirm, he is a Ladbrodudean after all. But I should be more open to understanding that men are victims of the patriarchy, too, so when I saw on youtube an interview with Matthew Mahconnaheywhatshispants by Russell that had Jordan Peterson's name in the title I got a bit barfy, I wasnt going to watch, but then remembered my effort to open my mind and so I gave it a go.

It was mostly what I thought, two privileged white Ladbrodudes, one with a hippy twist, talking about happiness, politics, goofballing it. It wasn't dangerous, it wasnt profound, it just was.

And then Jordan Peterson came up. Mehconnapants thanked Peterson in his new book. Apparently he heard Jordan say something relateable and now they're buds.

This where I have the question. Maconifer thinks it is unfair that Peterson gets cancelled. But isn't Peterson's refusal to use people's preferred pronouns a cancelling? 

Russell Howard seemed to agree with that cancel culture is unnecessary (I'm still on the fence, me) but made no comment on his thoughts on Peterson, and at no point did either say that Peterson's views on gender politics is not inclusive so therefore doesnt jibe with their 'everybody's equal' vibe. It also caused me to reflect on whether Howard has interviewed trans/nonbinary/gender fluid folks on his shows. This is something I don't know the answer to yet.

This is a lotta words to ask a small question, that I'm pretty sure the answer to is 'Yes. Peterson cancels people based on how they wish to be identified.' So I am comfortable cancelling Peterson.

But then, do I also cancel MConngoaway? I mean why not? No one will notice.

But then what about Russell Howard? Is he queerphobic too? or just a duncable Ladbrodudle? Is he the dreaded nice guy who likes gay folks but would still work with homophobic danger spreaders? Should I cancel him too? I already unsubscribed. Right crooked like, too. While muttering that he should interview Blaherence Fawks(akes) next. So maybe I already have...

[pond-goblin]

Welcome to my blog. Please enjoy this gif of @lizzo and stay tuned for my 2nd entry.

C