Written by Ameena b. (@imjustliketheflower on IG)
Modern dating, mental health, substance abuse and the struggles of New York City living, Brooklyn comics move beyond using comedy to mask their pain and use laughter to invite the audience into their inner world. Vulnerability is the norm among Brooklyn comics, who open up to their audiences and share about their personal lives and struggles.
Comics joke about going to the psych ward, UTIs, childhood trauma, being profiled by the police, bad dates and roommate drama. (There are a lot of d*ck jokes sprinkled in there too.) The crowd work feels effortless. In more intimate venues, like the Tiny Cupboard, it’s easy to forget that you’re in a room full of strangers and not a friend’s living room.
At the same time, the Brooklyn comedy scene can feel guarded. Many comedians sidestep politically sensitive topics in favor of talking about the personal. Not every Brooklyn comic wants to talk politics and many audience members would prefer to get their news from Al Jazeera, instead of sandwiched between sex jokes. However, political commentary deserves a platform in Brooklyn’s comedy scene.
To me, the comedians that stand out most are those that connect the personal and political. A few jokes stand out to me, weeks later they still make me think and chuckle. Wilfred Padua (@wilfredpadua on IG) has a joke about doggy style that ends in a punchline about the U.S. military’s occupation of the Philippines. Atheer Yacoub (@atheeryacoub on IG) jokes about her personal experiences with mental health and dating, with punchlines about Islamophobia and Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Rufat Agayev (@rufat_agayev on IG), has a great joke about the One Chip Challenge that ends in a punchline about abortion access. I talked to Rufat about his approach. “A lot of my jokes come from the inconsistencies I see,” he said, “Like how come bodegas in New York don’t sell the One Chip Challenge but a gas station in West Virginia does? Then I thought, isn’t it absurd that you can have access to the world’s hottest chip but not to an abortion in that state? I think people can laugh at things when you point out how goofy the world they exist inside of is.”
They say the jester is the only one who can speak truth to the king. Jesters can joke about things that could never be spoken about in a political debate. They can reveal the royals’ secrets and get away with it. Comedy can make us belly laugh, cringe and at its best, help us understand how our personal experiences connect to the world outside of ourselves.
