Why is it that there are so many Jewish comedians/comediennes? How do their routines show engagement with American society, and also their own identity as Jews? A note here, the hiding/effacing of Jewishness is also a viable topic, but when you look at this, try to see why/how it’s done, and is it effective? You could also look at stand-up as a very Jewish delivery, or perhaps more on the issue of incivility – why does Jewish humor often transgress the social boundaries established by others? You could also look at the relationship among Jewish and Black comedians. You could look at the Friars Club – and the concept of “roasting
Answer preview
The American entertainment industry is one with a diverse compilation of people. It is through this medium that Jews have been able to interact with other comedians such as the black comedian community. There are a number of ways in which the Jewish comedy and the black comedy can be said to be similar. It is no surprising fact that the Jewish comedians and the black comedians can relate with each other’s humor. The very first thing to note about the two categories is that they share the same plight in the political arena which has informed a number of their comic routines and ventures. The blacks are a minority group and have their own unique identity in the United States of America (Meier, 2017). The black comedians take this to their advantage to make jokes that allude to certain harsh features of their identity. For instance, making comparisons of the African-American mother as compared to the white mother. Furthermore, the belief is that the hood is a great inspiration for the black comedy. This is a prominent feature that connects the two groups.
