Over the past year I have been privileged enough to have been able to perform in some of London's top comedy venues and have appreciated every moment of this. As some of you reading this may realise, getting up infront of a room full of strangers and instantly having them on side with your first few words is never the easiest thing to achieve. Some of you may admire this whilst others may not understand the dynamics of it, which is to be expected. Comedy, like art, is always subjective and where comedians appreciate that they are not always everyones cup of tea, the audience does play a big part in interactions and enjoyment of the gags..
Humili-Asian has been running for nearly two years now and it's through the hard work and dedication of the people involved (past and present) that this night has continued successfully thus far. Not forgetting the great audiences that the acts have been able to perform for and the support of the crowds!
Over the last decade and beyond there has been a movement of Asian artists, performers and entertainers that have strived to push boundaries, risk reputation and through shear passion have ultimatly brought the Asian culture and style into the forefront of today's mainstream entertainment to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the worlds best! Where the journey is not over and these people, and new, will continue to strive, there is always a minority of people that will try to hold things back!
Unfortunately there were some of these, ignorant, selfish and closed minded "Asianz" (I use the term loosely) who were part of the audience of last night's successful show. It amazes me that these individuls will pay good money to try and ruin another 100 peoples' night! These are the types of people who give GREAT Asian people a BAD name! Frankly I think at their age (they were over 35 and some were parents!) they should really know better after being beat on by every comedian and not only that, by every other audience member in the room!
Now, I have had some bad nights where my sets have not gone down as well as i hope, which every performer will tell is a natural thing to happen. Even some of the worlds greatest performers have fallen flat on their face (this didnt happen last night - thanks to god!). This has often lend me to think of what it would be like to have every person in the room physically repulsed by my actions and sear hatred through their eyes at me. Fortunately I can say I haven't ever experienced it, but I now am aware of a few people who have! No names mentioned, even though I am privy to their home addresses!
I could be cruel and use my basic editing skills to cut together the recordings of said group of "people" (I use the term lightly, since single cell omeobas tend to have more common sense) and ensure that the whole internet community get to know how individuals that clearly do not get out much react to public places. But then what would be the joy in that when you can relish the fact that they may be reading this and not have realised that all their shennanigans had been caught on camera!
Well, i dont want to give the attention seeking nimrods any more joy. However, I would like to thank everyone who came last night (and to previous shows), enjoyed the night, joined in with the fun and on behalf of the halfwits I'd like to applogise if they disrupted your evening, but let's face it, they were on a night out from the day care center! Even that is insulting the intelligence of OAPs!
I guess the only true way to describe it is how Katt Williams would "if you don't have haters, you're not doing your job properly!" let's hope that these individuals wake up and feel some kind of remorse and embarassment! If not, well we now know why most of them were probably single!
Chirs Rock put it simply in his words, i'll put it in mine,
I LOVE BROWN PEOPLE! I HATE ASIANZ!!
Peace!
www.hydepanaser.com
Yes, you have clearly analysed this Hyde and I share your wrath? annoyance? disappointment? I expect your emotions will fluctuate at such thoughtless behaviour especially when so much work, investment has gone into each show.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to work out or understand why these members of the audience (you put it more graphically!) behave in such a way, remembering that I am only guessing at their behaviour, I was not there at that time. (I presume!) I am also going to chance at a reason for such behaviour, eg, that your act comprises parody, mimicking, revealing inconsistencies and facets of Asian culture that can be open to satire but not disdain. Yet the unruly group find it embarrassing, hurtful? Some will say that 'Imitation is the highest form of flattery' - by all accounts this feature of the show was lost on them!
Anyway, I could be totally wrong about the reason for such (I am assuming) unruly, disruptive (?) behaviour. It could be as a result of jealousy, professional or otherwise. It often appears that a particular kind of behaviour, eg, being unruly, etc, doesn't appear to match the kind of emotion that preceded it. Maybe we should not make assumptions, yet I feel that neither should we ignore or totally overlook the causes of this behaviour. I can perceive of possible instances of insecurity, feeling insulted by this style of comedy aimed at a particular group or race. I do not know if this style of comedy is new in Asian culture, if it is then I would strongly suspect the above to be the reason for such behaviour.
A great amount of comedy is of this style but a great amount of it is not as 'gentle' affable or benign as your own, eg, Jim Davidson, Roy Chubby Brown, Bernard Manning - comics who are or have been openly racist, lunging at a minority culture from the outside, often with viscious (under)tones. Your comedy appears to work from within (obviously?) and is amiable and optimistic (as I see it).
Yet the disrupters don't. There is a reason why and I wouldn't see a continued performance of their behaviour or feeling, to be in Humili-Asian's best interest. Obviously if such behaviour began to be lawless then other factors come into play - often seen as a negative!
Well, I for one am very impressed by the rapid rise and reception of your act, you are a talented comic performer. I don't think it bodes well though to ignore or overlook the possible reasons for disruptive behaviour. If it is that this unruly crowd haven't a reason other than to openly 'ruin' others application, or to just go out and taunt, then yes, this sort of crowd just demand no consideration and should be 'chucked out' maybe! but, as you stated that they were an older group (and I think mob culture in behaviour terms would decline as you get older) then maybe, just maybe, they felt aggrieved in some way, yet could not openly reveal their feelings in a more constructive way by putting pen to paper.
Should they be given an airing? Some kind of opportunity to communicate their feelings or have I got it completely wrong? Hopefully, it won't happen again anyway, but chances are....
Kindest Regards
Stella