Love All the People

Alex a little while back mentioned how there were too many angry comics in New York, and I agreed. But after while, I've slightly changed my view.

I'm not tired of angry comics. I'm tired of hateful comics.

Now let me clarify. There's a difference between anger and hatred. Not to get all zen wizard on you, but I'm okay if a comic is angry about politics. Dean Obeidallah - mein Freund - is often angry about politics, but discusses it in a way which makes his frustration funny. Lewis Black vents his fury by shouting. Hicks had his demon scream. Stanhope is, well, Stanhope.

But that's anger. They were angry at unjustified wars or pompous people or the death of comedy.

I'm tired of the hatred in stand-up. I did a show the other night, and at least three comedians based their entire acts on what they hated. And I don't mean, "Can you believe how they treat you at T.J. Max? Whoa!" I mean, "I hate this thing, I hate that thing, the world makes me angry, fuck this, fuck that." Without any direction or course of action. All that was coming out was bitterness with no recourse. One woman hated cab drivers because they were, quote, "Fucking stupid because they can't find my fucking apartment."

Now, I've mentioned before that I've got nothing against the word "hate." This isn't some semantics game in which I would prefer hack comedians to "dislike" cab-drivers rather than "hate" them. I just find that they're focusing on everyone but themselves. Everyone is wildly unreasonable. They cab driver, the lady at the store, the audience members, their kids, their spouses, their friends, their local businesses. It's not a desire to pull down the structure and rebuild something better - as might be the case with a Hicks. It's not an appeal to remove our facades - as might be the case with Stanhope. Rather, it's an effort to hurt those who bother us. It's an effort to mock people - often less fortunate than us - for not living exactly as we do.

It's xenophobic comedy. And I mean xenophobic in the strictest sense - anything outside of the person.

I know it's easy for me, someone who makes nearly no money off stand-up and only a little off comedy in general, to complain about content. It's an ivory-tower situation. However, my good friend Grubard is right. The hate is coming from us lower-enders. Sure, with Lisa Lampanelli and her ilk, there are a few headliners that make their living off this type of comedy. But the ratio is completely off balance.

Why don't we love the craziness of the world? Embrace the bad airline food unironically. Enjoy the tourists. Bask in the villainy and stupidity.

Look at what Colbert does on his show. That's a way to fight what bothers you.

Look at what they do on the Half Hour News Hour. That's a way to look ridiculous.

Then again, I rarely get these things right.