One of the qualities that I admire in Americans is their sense of humour. I grew up in a serious Indian society which did not know how to laugh and certainly not at itself. I remember one silly political cartoon from my childhood which depicted Indira Gandhi in a non-flattering way and caused a fierce debate in parliament. 

It was a refreshing change for me when I came to the USA to watch all the funny sitcoms and Johnny Carson’s monologues on TV. Everyone I met in my social and professional circles seemed ready with a one-liner. Even at a formal gathering such as a conference or a business meeting, the speaker invariably started by telling a joke or two to make sure that the audience was relaxed. 

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I loved the variety in American humour and the different styles of comedians. The comedy in Indian movies was entirely predictable and involved physical gestures, funny voices or some inane acts like men disguised in women’s outfits. 

One key ingredient in the recipe to make people laugh is to point out the stupidity in their daily behaviour patterns or absurdity in their thoughts. It is almost natural that ethnicity and sex would enter comedy material. Differences in accent and cultural practices of different ethnic groups lend themselves as easy material. There are plenty of jokes where comedians imitate Indian accents or make fun of Indians holding cows as sacred.
There are always absurd expectations and apprehensions in our fantasies about sex acts which can be amusing to hear out loud. Once again, American comedians were always open about such topics. 

It is understandable that comedians need to walk a fine line in both categories. They can be funny to some people and offensive to others. 

We must go back the to late 1950s and early 60s to find the saga of Lenny Bruce who allegedly crossed the line between decency and obscenity. He was arrested multiple times for using vulgar words and describing obscene acts, but never imprisoned. He was convicted in 1964, and sentenced to four months in prison but appealed the sentence. He died while awaiting the result of his appeal from a drug overdose. 

During the following two or three decades, the American comedy scene maintained a balance between what was considered acceptable and what was offensive. There was plenty of humour in the media about race and sex but certain topics and words were not allowed on TV. The movies controlled the material by their “R” or “X” rating. Explicit words were allowed in comedy clubs where alcoholic drinks were served and the shows were intended for mature adults who were willing to pay to watch the. Black comedians like Richard Pryor and Flip Wilson often made fun of their own kind. 

The situation started to change with the infusion of “political correctness” in whatever we did. The basic guideline was that there would be no more jokes offensive to any minority group, be it the Blacks, Mexicans, Polish, Muslims etc. Use of the “N-word” was an absolute no-no. It was not just the minority groups based on race and religion but also on sexual preference. Creator of the popular sitcom “Seinfeld”, Larry David cleverly came up with the brilliant line “not that there is anything wrong with that” every time the lead character Jerry used the word “gay” in one episode of the show. 

The line between comedy and partisan political views started to get blurred when Donald Trump came into the picture. The comedians were restrained about making fun of Barack Obama because they did not want to offend the first non-white president, but they let themselves loose on Trump. Liberal late-night comedy hosts like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel carried on their vile rage-filled diatribes against Trump in the name of comedy. This was in sharp contrast to the styles of truly great comedians like Dave Letterman and Johnny Carson. 

The “MeToo” movement was a final nail in the coffin. One could not even tell jokes which were remotely offensive to women, sexual or otherwise. It was not just the comedy stage, male employees at workplaces became petrified about making fun of their female coworkers based on any of their characteristics. Massive numbers of training sessions on sexual harassment were deployed to make sure that employees were within their bounds. 

The grand finale of the decline in American comedy took place on the 2022 Oscar night. It was a long-drawn-out uneventful occasion as usual until the comedian Chris Rock came on stage to present the award for best documentary. Rock is a popular and well-accomplished comedian. He was the host of the 2016 Oscars where his opening monologue was one of the best offerings I have ever seen. Actor Will Smith (WS) and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith (JPS) were sitting among the audience in the front row. JDS appeared completely bald. I later learned that her baldness is due to some rare medical condition of hair loss related to a dis-ease called alopecia. 

After some initial lines, Rock looked at JPS and said “Jada, I love you. G. I. Jane -2, cannot wait to see it. Okay?” Reference to G.I. Jane was meant to point out her bald head which made her look like Demi Moore who had a shaved head in the movie. 

Smith initially chuckled at the joke but only a few seconds later walked up to the stage without anyone stopping him and slapped Rock hard on the face and then calmly walked back to his seat. Rock was obviously not expecting it and said “Wow! Will just slapped the s–t out of me “. WS continued to scream at him from his seat, saying “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—-g mouth.” Rock was professional enough not to let the situation escalate and completed his task. 

Remember, the show was being telecast live around the globe with an estimated audience of more than 15 million. Everyone was stunned. The incident overshadowed the entire ceremony, even WS’s win in the best actor category. The Academy of Motion Pictures did not seem to know what to do. While I would agree that it was not Rock’s best line, it was not offensive humour. It seems to me that JPS came to the event with a bald head, with a deliberate intention to draw attention. Whatever her medical condition might be, it was not from chemotherapy for cancer. Rock simply implied that perhaps she was preparing herself for a movie and claimed that he did not know about JPD’s medical condition. 

WS later apologized to the Academy, audience and Rock, and resigned his membership from the Academy. The Academy banned him from attending Oscars for the next ten years. 

In any event, WS’s reaction was completely inappropriate. No matter how you look at it, this was the night comedy in America was killed for good. I do not believe that any creative person can effectively create his/her output if there is a physical threat in addition to all kinds of censorship. It was a sad evening.