Comedy can be a very subjective thing and is also subject to cultural filters and bias. The key thing tho' is that if something is observational and funny then it will most likely be funny to everyone ... not always of course but it's a good general rule.
Whilst link surfing YouTube I came across some American comedians who also happened to be Indian (not American Indian, Asian Indian). One in particular, who I shall not name to spare his blushes, was attempting to be funny about the English and, sad to say, he was full of fail. When a comedian is simply not funny because he has not accurately assessed that which he is attempting to pastiche, that is a sad thing to watch
.
However, there are times at the other end of the spectrum where comedy can not only make fun of another culture but also do it by reflecting back certain behaviours of the 'target' culture through the filters of the comedians culture.
This is a clip from a British show called "Goodness Gracious Me", made, for the BBC, by an all Indian cast. Just for a bit of cultural background, what it is doing extremely well is taking pot shots at the bad behaviour of drunken British louts in Indian restaurants:
[yt]xdo79znnHl8[/yt]
And attacking the same subject in a similar fashion but with an English comedian applying an Indian filter:
[yt]x4LHLM4WIw0[/yt]
Whilst link surfing YouTube I came across some American comedians who also happened to be Indian (not American Indian, Asian Indian). One in particular, who I shall not name to spare his blushes, was attempting to be funny about the English and, sad to say, he was full of fail. When a comedian is simply not funny because he has not accurately assessed that which he is attempting to pastiche, that is a sad thing to watch
.However, there are times at the other end of the spectrum where comedy can not only make fun of another culture but also do it by reflecting back certain behaviours of the 'target' culture through the filters of the comedians culture.
This is a clip from a British show called "Goodness Gracious Me", made, for the BBC, by an all Indian cast. Just for a bit of cultural background, what it is doing extremely well is taking pot shots at the bad behaviour of drunken British louts in Indian restaurants:
[yt]xdo79znnHl8[/yt]
And attacking the same subject in a similar fashion but with an English comedian applying an Indian filter:
[yt]x4LHLM4WIw0[/yt]
