In the past two years, talk shows (in China) have become popular, because more and more people don't want to listen to reason. It's useless to reason and listen to reason. It's always right to smile to relieve stress.
And the stand-up comedian's farewell show re-tells the meaning of the story and the difference between a story and a joke. In order to achieve true self-healing and pass on the painful experience to more people, she chose to use stories instead of jokes to tell her own experiences.
A joke is simply two things, a setup and a punchline. And stories, unlike jokes, need three parts: a beginning, a middle and an end. Jokes only need two parts: a beginning and a middle.
That's why when she was talking about waiting for the bus at night, when she was talking to a woman, she was scolded by the woman's boyfriend as "gay, stay away from my girlfriend", and then when the boyfriend found out that she was actually a girl Time to apologize to her. It's a joke.
She finally told the audience that the man came back later, said "yes, you're a gay woman" and beat her mercilessly, without anyone to stop her, and she didn't go to the hospital after being beaten. Because at that time, she really felt that she should be beaten because she was different. This is the full story.
Punch lines need trauma because punch lines… need tension, and tension feeds trauma. Joke tellers have a hard time because they are constantly creating panic, repeating tragedies, and then defuse them, creating an illusory "lost and found" joy.
The audience said that listening to the joke is happy, but listening to the story is a bit heavy. "My life is heavy enough, why should I pay for it to listen?"
Hannah answered, because of the connection. The reason why I say this today is not for profit, but just to not feel so lonely. Just to get my story heard and make me feel connected to the world.
Later, when she threw out her painful past, but did not pick up a punchline, she said, now that these pressures are handed over to you, I will not help you any more. You need to learn what this feels like because this tension is what not-normal carry inside of them all the time. Sounds a little selfish and wayward, but it's really touching and makes people reflect on her saying "diversity is strength".
This text is really tense: talking about homosexual identity, but also talking about homophobia and self-doubt; talking about eliminating gender stereotypes, and talking about patriarchal/patriarchal society; talking about art history, saying that artists should not be romanticized of mental illness, said the male gaze in ancient and modern art. In short, there are enemies everywhere, and there is no backup plan at all.
If the core of domestic talk shows is to please, then the core of foreign talk shows is to attack. It's no wonder that anyone in the country can attack, everyone is the flower of the motherland and can't stand the attack.
View more about Hannah Gadsby: Nanette reviews
