I love Patton Oswalt and I really enjoyed his new special, but I found myself unable to laugh at most of it. Of all the Trump material, his comparison to David Lee Roth got the most giggles out of me, but that probably had more to do with David Lee Roth.
And that’s okay, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t or isn’t funny. I can just listen to the man talk and still enjoy it. Not all comedy has to make me piss my pants. I’m also a huge fan of Marc Maron and I could sit and listen to him talk for hours, too (and have). I actually found Marc’s bit about Trump to be much funnier when I watched his special, but maybe I was less worn down then.
It’s just really hard for me to find anything funny about this anymore. I don’t think any comedian should stop making jokes. I’ll keep listening to them, to get whatever I can out of it, and I think it’s important they keep bringing that to the table. But a while ago this had already started to feel like when you get hurt really badly and maybe it looked funny when it happened, but some people are still laughing and the pain is just too much and it’s not funny anymore.
And I know comedians making jokes about it is a little different – they’re not laughing at our pain. They’re in that pain with us and that’s how they’re dealing with it. I’m all for that. It’s one of my common mechanisms in my coping arsenal, too. When it’s some goofy meme or viral joke about something like covfefe, that’s when I can laugh the easiest because that’s just absurdity, and we can all have a laugh at HIS expense.
But when it’s anything to do with ‘Oh god what is he going to do now?!’ it’s just not funny to me anymore, because it feels like it’s at our expense. The comedians aren’t doing that, it’s not their fault, and again – I would never ask or expect an artist to alter his or her craft or way of expressing themselves.
I’m just talking about how heavy this has gotten for me, and why it’s just not working for me anymore.
—emily duchaine
Flommist Emily Duchaine lives in the Pacific Northwest. She likes to drink mead, learn about sharks, and listen to the Talking Heads. She pretends to be a professional businesswoman most days. Copyright © 2017 Emily Duchaine.
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