Nanette

26 June 2018: "But I have been questioning this whole comedy thing. I don’t feel very comfortable in it anymore. I built a career out of self-deprecating humor. That’s what I built a career on. And I don’t want to do that anymore. Because do you understand what self-deprecation means when it comes from somebody who already exists in the margins? It’s not humility. It’s humiliation. I put myself down in order to speak—in order to seek permission to speak. And I simply will not do that anymore, not to myself or to anybody who identifies with me." --Hannah Gadsby, in her comedy special, Nanette.

I started watching Nanette last night and the particular section I quoted above (discussed in more detail in this piece) really jumped out at me. I am always interested in what marginalized folks have to do to gain a voice--and the price they pay to do so. It is particularly interesting to think about this through the lens of comedy. As someone who likes to make people laugh, sometimes at my own expense, I find myself looking back at those moves and asking, "Wait, they laughed with me. But was it also at me? That doesn't feel great." (This happens less now than when I was younger...)

(Two posts in a row based on stand-up specials (by queer women, too), but avoiding repetition has never been reason enough for me to change my daily posting plans.)