Are We Almost There Yet?

In time honoured tradition, that of giving the author of the blog a break and a chance for you to read something different (and perhaps more interesting), I'm honoured to be able to give you a guest post tonight from Lucy, who's blog, The Rise to Comedic Stardom, can be found here.

Trust me, it's good. See you later!

Crushed recently asked me to do a guest post on his blog relating to injustice and race in comedy. I hesitated to take him up on the offer because, to be honest, I'm not an authority on subject. I haven't had much experience with out-and-out "in-my-face" racism. And I count my blessings everyday for being allowed to live a relatively injustice-free life.

To make this easier to digest, dear reader, let's start from the beginning, shall we?

My name is Lucy.

I'm American.

I'm black.

I'm female.

I'm a writer.

I'm a comedian.

I get a chill down my spine just writing those 5 short descriptions.

Why? Because I hate, absolutely detest, labels of any type.

However, to live in the society we live in today, I need to have a method by which I can relay to you (the reader) an idea by employing a "label" or "definition." Everyday we sample each other. We sample people, places, things, ideas, etc., by placing them into categories. It's how we function. That's how we can quickly surmise if we relate to someone or something.

Example: She's black. I'm black. I understand her.

Another example: She's black. I'm not black. I don't understand her.

Now if the latter example is a situation you've faced before in your life, then the ultimate question then is, "Where do I go from here?"

Do you decide to:

1) Write this person off and say, "I don't relate to her because she's black and I will place her into some category and move on."

2) Or do you say, "I don't relate to her, but I would like to, so I will endeavor to dwindle down that category into something very, very, specific so that later on I can relate to her--specifically" ?

Even with the above labels, I KNOW that you, the audience, the reader, will never get a true glimpse of who Lucy is--who I am. Those words above don't really define me. I'm much more than that.

And so are you. You are more than your name. Your are more than your clothes. You are more than your address, than your vehicle, than religion, than your national affiliation. There are too many layers of you to describe in a blog post.

Now bear with me, I will be making my point shortly.

Crushed asked me to discuss being a black female in comedy and to mention my experiences or injustices being a minority.

Now, I'm AM black person. But I don't relate to that label, "black." Yes, I have a dark skin. But that's it. That's where it ends. If I walk into a room full of black people (people with dark skin), I don't feel any closer or more related to them than I would if I were in a room full of non-blacks or a mixed group. Actually, I would feel more comfortable in a group of mixed people because that would force people to really get specific to know me--to really get down to the nitty gritty and figure out who I am, specifically.

Do we see a theme? Have you gotten the point?



Now many people would not want to admit it, but the former option (#1 - "write me off") would be a preference. It may not even be a conscious decision. Perhaps, a decision you make in a split second. Perhaps a decision that someone has made for you, thereby making you a product of your environment. Perhaps, your parents had an opinion on a race of people and they have embedded it into your head since as far back as you can remember. And only now, after reading this post, you realize that you never got a chance to really think about the way you feel about a person, a race, a religion, a gender. The only thing that matters,

And now we come to the theme of this post: If you have made that conscious choice, make sure to it's your choice and no one else's. And make sure you have a solid specific reason to back it up.

I ask you to really understand why you're making that decision. What is it based on? Is it because of a bad experience you had with a member of that group? Is it because of something you saw on the television or in a movie or THE NEWS?

I say, if you're going to be racist, then be racist, as long as you have a decision to back it up. As long as your opinion is one you developed on your own volition. Not because of some leader of some group said it, not because your parents, not because of someone else's experience. Only because of you and your life experience. Hopefully, you'll several experiences so as to not base it on one single solitary limited p.o.v.

Believe it or not, many people can't take this all too important step. A lot of people can't make decisions on their own. They RELY on others because they would rather not venture out on their own--whether it be because of the actual process that goes into a making a decision (the pain of thought) or whether it be the result of the decision not matching up with those around them. (They don't want to be separated from the crowd or go against general consensus.)

You, the reader of Crushed's blog, I assume are a critical thinker and you endeavor to make wholesome full decisions based off of some truth but mainly based off of your own experience.

To me, every experience I have is specific. I always slow down my thinking and say "You know, Saturday was a bad day because I stubbed my toe."

"...But Sunday....?"

Well, what about Sunday?

Are you going to let what happened to you Saturday affect what happened to you Sunday?



Social injustice in comedy. Yes, I'm sure it happens. But I have yet to experience it, firsthand. I haven't come across it. Perhaps one day. Or maybe never. Either way I have remain open. I can't let someone else's opinion colo(u)r my experience.

I think this is an important lesson we all need to sit back and think about. We need to take a step back and really analyze if these judgments that we make everyday, are they really warranted? Or are they an amalgamation of what our peers have said? Ask yourself everyday, "Is this my experience?"

Be fully aware of what choices you're making. Because that's what Life is: a series of choices.

Food for thought.


If you want to read more about Lucy's opinion of race and bigotry in comedy (and in life), read her post called, "MetaBigotry in Comedy.