In general, I think there are some things that require time before you can talk about them. Some stuff that happened over the summer, for instance - the Philando Castile shooting, Alton Sterling, the police officers in Dallas - there was no room for jokes. But there are, of course, the policies that have given us those events. Now, there's a lot of room for jokes there. When you're looking at something difficult to talk about, there's always a sideways way in that feels a little less personal to people. That's where the joke lives.
Negin FarsadThere's something about political comedy that sometimes closes people off, and my general goal is to open people right up.
Negin FarsadWe're always going to be cherry-picking to make religion make sense. Especially in the modern context.
Negin FarsadThanks to the Internet, I think, a lot of hate has moved to more anonymous venues. A lot of people get their aggression out that way. Or they do some drive-by hatingโyou know, where theyโre in a car and they yell something stupid out the window at a stoplight and then take off. Itโs just not as involved and laborious to be a hater as it used to be. Thereโs not as much face-to-face interaction. Facebookโs made โem lazy.
Negin FarsadWe twist ourselves into knots convincing people that Islam is peaceful and varied before we realize that, wait a second, you can be a Muslim while also recognizing that Islam doesn't even explain half of your behaviors!
Negin FarsadThe fundamental truth guiding social justice comedy is that people are not shitty. That sounds cheesy, but that's how I have to approach it. Everybody has the capacity for change.
Negin FarsadIn general, I think there are some things that require time before you can talk about them. Some stuff that happened over the summer, for instance - the Philando Castile shooting, Alton Sterling, the police officers in Dallas - there was no room for jokes. But there are, of course, the policies that have given us those events. Now, there's a lot of room for jokes there. When you're looking at something difficult to talk about, there's always a sideways way in that feels a little less personal to people. That's where the joke lives.
Negin Farsad