Why We Laugh
Safety Rating: The whole range of foul language, but…
Friendly Rating: Except for the language, grade school and older
Quality Rating: Very good, in spite of some dragging
On Showtime2 tonight at 6:30 p.m., plus multiple repeats across the Showtime networks.
This is one you’ll probably want to record rather than watch as it airs, if only because it’s in repeats. Unfortunately, the weekend it premiered, there was just too much else going on.
But this look at African American comedy from the early days of minstrel shows all the way to the future of the art form is literally a history of African American culture. More to the point, it is told by African Americans. There’s some lovely archival footage and some scary scenes of racism.
I think it’s important that kids see what racism was and (to a different degree) still is, which is why I have no problem with kids viewing these images in this context. However, because some of the language and the odd joke or two are decidedly foul, I can understand why some parents might be leery of letting their younger kids watch.
This is a gray area. In fact, even as they drop the f-bombs and the N-word, there are several comedians who talk about the difference between using mature language in the service of the comedy and just using it because you can and bemoaning the young kids doing just that.
But it’s also moments like these that make this film so wonderful. The comedians don’t pull any punches. They talk about the hurt of racism and what the African American people went through, but it’s about how they overcame slavery and racism, rather than complaining that it happened and how it still happens.
It does drag a little in the middle and I’m not sure why. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it, even as I wanted to glance at a bit of my email here and there. It may be the fact that the visuals are largely talking heads. Still, it’s worth while. Just monitor it first.
