Comedy,cults and the rationale

You're tired with all the hectic project files in the office or you're a researcher who spends most of the time with various machines and you have chosen to vent out your boredom through a stand up comedy show that's happening in the city. You went there anticipating the rib tickles. But instead what you've got on the platter are the lame jokes on your religion, your sex life, the government you are supporting and the racist mentality you've carried all the way through your life. You are obviously offended and want to rip apart that idiot who made jokes on your way of life, or million other people who hold same set of beliefs as you are. "How the hell can he ridicule people and call it comedy?" ,you thought.

You are not alone if you have ever experienced the situations similar like this. Everyone does. It's basic human reflex to get furious when someone talks bad/criticize or even worse, make fun of what we have believed throughout our lives. But that is necessary to inculcate critical thinking. That's how world progresses. By the exchange of ideas,citicism,self evaluation and doubt. Show me one pioneer who hasn't gone through this procedure and yet made to top in his/her area of expertise. But unfortunately for cults ,stans and herds none of these matters. They are immune to what world thinks and so deeply conjured by the belief that they see everyone who opposes it as an exorcist and a potential threat. But they are not immune to one particular thing. i.e, comedy and drama. We drastically underestimate what a drama/films/comedy can do to the people. If you are familiar with George Carlin or Ricky Gervais, you would understand the impact they had on American people through their comic strips. If not for comedy, why would entire muslim community gets rattled when some school teacher in paris shows a cartoon of prophet muhammad to a child in a classroom? Also not to forget the ass protests of Karni sena and thousands of Hindus when Raj Kumar Hirani made fun of Lord Shiva in his movie PK. Such is the impact of comedy. Comedy not only makes someone to pull out offence wild card like kids,but it does much more. It makes them realise they are idiotic and also help society by making people smarter.

Let me illustrate a stupendous case of comedy undermining a terrorist organization called Klu Klux klan in America. The klan, started as a harmless organization by 6 confederate soldiers, soon started making mid night pranks, started giving hate speeches against blacks and grew as an inter-state anti black terrorist organization. But their impact was not to be measured in the number of lynching, rapes or murders they have done. That they did any way, but they also managed to brainwash the entire society including blacks that they are inferior or second class citizens and to be remained as slaves to their white masters. The killings, intimidations became less frequent and the organization was just in dormant existence without any barbaric acts but the damage was already done. The klan followers who held their beliefs made into the parliament and started making laws in their favor such as abolishing right to vote for blacks, reservation of front row seats to the whites etc. The people hardly showed any resistance because of fear they instilled or they willingly stayed ignorant. But can you believe that this horrific situation was changed by a radio show that reads superman comics? Enter Stenson Kennedy, a 33 year old writer who writes anti-bigotry articles. As a victim of klu klux klan(kkk) he was very temperamental and determined to work against this organization. All he did was to join their klan pretending to be their fellow follower, got to know everything about them including the secret code to identify their fellow klansmen( The klansmen would ask someone,are you Mr.Ayak? If they respond yes I am an Akai they are the same troop). Kennedy gathered all that information and gave it to a radio show and asked them to write an episode series on SUPERMAN v/s KLANSMEN. When that show was aired, it had all the details which were to be known only by the internal community members of KKK. The show was an instant hit and children on streets started imitating their codes and played superman game on streets. Now entire country would respond to "Are you Mr.Ayak?" as "Yes I am Mr.Akai" . Their beliefs and proverbs, oath takings, hosanna hailings etc, became a laughing stock to the school children and everyone are now wearing the robes of KKK as a Halloween costume. As expected KKK members held a meeting and everyone were in distress that they are getting ass kicked. They have changed their passwords and were partially happy that not everything was revealed. But the air shows next week contained the new information about KKK, new passwords and everything. By the time the season 1 of the superman comics ended, over 85% of the Klan members disappeared from meetings as well as from troops and never returned later on.! The crux of this marvelous solution doesn't lie in the comedy itself. But the information it conveyed. People were always thinking that KKK was intellectually very lucid in their thoughts and actions  & that's why it had so many followers. But it all crumbled down when they found out it is a topic that is worth writing fairy tale comics for children. So their belief ended there. Like KKK, there are many such cults, religious and political groups, fan groups of overrated actors who are only surviving because of mass hysteria, nothing else. We now need some brilliant minds to oppose them, perhaps in a less boring way. Comedians and artists are our treasure in this case. Because even though intellectuals and scientists know these things better, they never really appeal to general audience as much as artists do. Their opinion will be swept under the carpet and thrown into a black hole,never to be found again,very much like the fate of this blog I am writing. 

 Hmmm, I wish I was a comedian.!