blog 15

Sarah Silverman is the most commonly misunderstood comedian because like Sam Anderson wrote in Irony Maidenshe “doesn’t insulate herself with fictional characters.” Dave Chappelle and “Borat” are fictional in a more obvious kind of way. In Chappelle’s video about “Native Americans” the situation in which he describes himself is clearly fictional, and as opposed to Silverman he exposes the stereotype in a completely different light. In other words, instead of making a stereotypical joke about a certain group he completely changes what the audience thinks he is going to say into a different subject. Silverman on the other hand, is more blunt and crude in the way she expresses her jokes. Just like Chappelle and Silverman, “it’s very important to understand that Sacha Baron Cohen doesn’t feel the way that Borat feels, and that is why it is comedy.” They are just people that are “[holding] up a mirror to American society.” They are all fake characters who are playing a typical ignorant member of society and this is exactly how mega-bigotry works, it “makes you face the things you don’t want to face and the easiest way to face it is through humor.” The audience has to know that these subjects are actual social problems and the only thing that these comedians are trying to do is show how society reacts to them. They are acting and it is not for real although it can easily be mistaken.