Seeing humour as a weapon

People who are afraid of comedians more often than not have something to hide and are almost always a joke themselves

It seems as if stand-up comics are going to be a rare breed in India soon, the way affordable petrol and impartial journalists already are. Cracking a joke has always been an act fraught with all kinds of danger in a country that lost its sense of humour some years ago, but we now live in a time where thinking about a joke can lead to imprisonment as well. How did we end up like this? How did things go so horribly wrong?

A part of me recognises why comedians are so threatening to some of our countrymen. People afraid of jokes recognise the unique power of humour. They have a sense of how it can be used to express dissatisfaction and anger, to deflate the powerful egos of men with deep insecurities, and to get an audience to accept that an emperor has no clothes. We are all being encouraged and coerced into finding everything offensive these days, because to accept that someone is offending us gives some people an opportunity to justify bringing that person under control. A joke in today’s India is more than just a means to make us laugh; it is a sign that dissent cannot and will not be tolerated by people who have failed to accomplish anything of importance on any front.

I believe it is important not just to examine humour that is being deemed offensive on our behalf, but to understand how this humour comes into being in the first place. Where do funny people get their material from? Why do they sound so bittersweet? What prompts them to look at life in a certain way? And what are their jokes really trying to tell us after we have stopped laughing?

History has taught us that the term gallows humour came from jokes cracked during episodes of great stress or trauma. They were like escape mechanisms, a means of coming to terms with situations and events that were dire. A lot of the humour that entertains us these days tends to fall into this category, even if we fail to acknowledge it as such. If comedians are joking about issues, it’s because the rest of us have stopped giving those issues the importance they deserve. We are being asked to be offended by some jokes because that distracts us from the more important jokes that also form part of these acts.

People who are afraid of humour are those who have a lot to hide, because the truth strips them of the lies they clothe themselves with. To poke fun is to deflate, to render impotent, which is always a dangerous proposition for those who want to exercise complete control. A free and fair society, where democracy is sacred, revels in humour because it is a sign of how every voice has value. A society that encourages humour encourages an exchange of ideas, which is why Nazi Germany was so afraid of it. To joke about the Nazis was a crime punishable by death because Hitler couldn’t stand the idea of anyone laughing at him.

And yet, to stay silent while innocent people are jailed for saying something funny is to show the world how fragile we are as a people, and how thin the veneer of civility that cloaks us. Our inability to laugh at ourselves will come back to haunt us, because we are doing everything we can to shut down voices that do not conform. Our freedom of choice is being taken away from us, but we are too busy being outraged about inane things to stop and notice.

I look forward to a time when comedians among us struggle to find material, and when the absurdities that we have accepted as normal are relegated to the past. We are living in a time of economic uncertainty, rising unemployment, and increased violence against women, students, and minorities. Our fundamental rights are being trampled upon while we are busy being manipulated into uninstalling apps or boycotting television serials.

We live in a time when demonising a community is condoned, but accusations against things that haven’t been said can attract jail terms. Committing an act of terror can now make someone a politician, while comedians are being asked to mind their language. There is no government that can get inside our heads though, so I spend hours thinking the unthinkable about people and parties that believe they are above the law.

Hitler wanted to stop comedians. Look who’s laughing now.

When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira

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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper

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