THE NATURE OF NIGERIANS: COMEDIANS

Comedy by its nature is irreverent. Comedy can poke fun without being offensive; comedy can be racist without anyone being outraged; comedy can be anything and will get away with it. The practitioners of comedy are noted for observing society and making a mockery of issues and humans, from behind a bulletproof glass-covered pulpit of humour. Comedians are by nature disrespectful, because a respectful comedian would be politically correct and frankly, if you’re a politically correct comedian, you’re in the wrong job.

However, I know of a comedian who tries (at least in his mind) to at once fly in the face of society whilst also conforming to the same society.  That’s the irony behind the Nigerian character, mindset, today.

It is universally believed that writing in capital letters serves to highlight your point or helps to express how much you feel about the topic on which you write. It’s natural for an angry person, who isn’t going to be judged for his ability to uphold the tenets of English writing to succumb to the temptation of writing in “caps” what ordinarily should be written without adornment, and if there be any adornment, then it probably only should be an exclamation mark. Non-conformity with this societal dictate is often interpreted to mean rudeness. But that’s what the society thinks, not me.

Now, our favourite comedian flies foul of this societal dictate. I understand where he is coming from; comedy is largely protestant, more anti-society than anti-individuality. The problem, however, is when this person who so “middle-fingers” society purports to take umbrage at the use of vulgar language, whatever that means. It’s not a solely Nigerian problem, but Nigerians are the physical manifestation, an embodiment of hypocrisy. If there were a god of hypocrisy somewhere, he would have been adjudged to have molded your average Nigerian from clay, and breathed life into him. Tweeting in “caps” is a fuck-you to norm,  vulgar to everyone who believes in the norm of the case of the letter; when I write “fuck” or other sundry swear swords, I’m giving norm my own middle finger too. The former isn’t more vulgar than the latter, thinking of it critically.

That’s not all. For comedians, disrespect is a tool of trade very well utilized. A better word would be "disregard". From ordinary persons, to whole tribes, to leaders of thought, religion and government, to organizations, to captains of industry… everyone and every idea ever conceived is fair target. But don’t fret, it’s only comedy, we are “respectful” people outside of our jobs. If as a person, I make fun of the deaf, the talker-in-staccato, the dumb, the melanin deficient, the mentally deficient, and other such disadvantaged people, I could be made a pariah. For comedy and comedians, this is the fairest of targets.

Any comedian who actively looks for respect... regard, in the Nigerian sense deserves this modified salvo from Edmund Burke: 

“No one who is allowed to walk without a keeper can possibly think like that!” 

In less Etonian expressions, get the man a straitjacket!

Aha!

Comedians from outside these shores I have followed reply disrespect with disrespect; they do not bring age into the matter, especially when the stage is set in public. What you do in your private life doesn’t concern me one bit (well, not really), but when you subject yourself to public scrutiny, you open yourself up to public ridicule too. Many people who diss President Jonathan (deservedly too) cannot diss their fathers, or even their brothers at home; why then do you object to being dissed? 

Try harder, you'll get it.

 This favourite comedian of mine (I say that with my tongue poking an obvious hole in my cheeks) is perhaps the best Nigerian comedian intellect-wise and certainly one of the most-read. He even majored in philosophy. One would think a major in philosophy would open one’s mind and eyes to the contradiction that is the Nigerian mindset. But that’s only what one would think.