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And this too couldn't hurt:
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2006/11/14/metlaugh1114b.ht=
ml
Comedians turn tables on hatred, stereotypes
Race, religion take hits for good cause
By Brian Feagans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/14/06
A black comedian, a Jewish comedian and a Latino comedian walk into a
bar. ...
Know how that one goes?
The 130 people who crammed into a boozy basement Thursday in Midtown
sure do. And the punch lines weren't for the thin-skinned -- no
matter the color.
Take the opening from Manny Oliveira, the Latino comedian at the event
organized by the Black-Jewish Coalition, the American Jewish Committee
and several Atlanta-based Latino organizations. "When I walked in, I
saw Latino people, black people, Jewish people," Oliveira said. "I
thought I was in court."
It was one of the more "PG" jokes on a night rated "R" for race,
religion and raunchiness. Billed as the Three Shades of Comedy, the
event was an attempt to help metro Atlantans laugh across the barriers
that tumble down when comics stand up.
"What I hear is, 'I wish people would stop trying to be so 'right' and
start being so 'real,' " said Ross Kogon, who helped organize the event
as co-chair of a young-adult division within the American Jewish
Committee. "You've got to start somewhere."
This start was notable for its cultural mix, too. While often framed in
black and white, metro Atlanta is far more complex. Now Latin American
immigrants have transformed the ethnic dynamic so fast that
relationships between Georgia's 625,000 Latinos and other minority
groups are still taking shape.
Thursday, the trio of Atlanta-based comedians poked fun at the
misconceptions that, in most settings, are offensive. But not during
the one-night-only performance at Relapse Comedy, a theater in the
basement of an old church on 14th Street.
"The stereotype is that Jews are cheap," said Shawn Lesser, a Jewish
stockbroker and part-time comic. "I gotta tell you, I don't buy that."
A=2ED. "Griff" Griffin, a comedian and co-host of the morning show on
Atlanta's 107.9 FM, joked that composite sketches of African-American
suspects look the same. "I'm always like, 'Damn, that's my cousin,'"
said Griff, who is black.
Sensing the largely Jewish and Latino audience's uneasiness with the
joke, Griff pointed to the handful of African-Americans in the crowd.
"Just look at the black people if you're unsure whether to laugh,"
Griff said.
Nathan McCall, lecturer of journalism and African American studies at
Emory University, said that while he did not attend the event, he had
mixed feelings about it. "Good racial humor, what it does is expose the
depth of our ignorance of each other," said McCall, who leads a
discussions on the role of comedy in his African American Images in
Media class. "When you really look at it, it's downright funny."
But few comedians -- Richard Pryor and Chris Rock among them -- can
actually achieve a higher level of humor that packs a social
conscience, McCall said. And comedy can easily be used as a disguise to
vent true racism and reinforce stereotypes, he said.
Dave Chappelle, the black comedian who rose to stardom on racially
charged humor, had a midcareer epiphany that led him to question what
he was doing, McCall said. "He couldn't determine whether whites were
laughing with him or at him," he said. "That is indicative of the
ambivalent road of racial humor in this country."
Even so, McCall said he applauds the guts of those who organized the
black, Latino, Jewish comedy night. "When you do something like this,
there's always a danger it can backfire," McCall said. "But given where
we are, or where we are not, it's still worth the risk."
And risky it was.
At one point, Oliveira began pointing to people in the crowd and asking
"What are you?" One woman responded that she was both Latina and
Jewish. "Wow," Oliveira said with a look of amazement. "You can steal
from yourself."
Another man admitted he didn't belong to any of the three groups. "I'm
a redneck," he said.
"What, are you on a reconnaissance mission?" Oliveira said.Relations
between the groups haven't always been a laughing matter over the past
year in Georgia. Latino and black leaders stepped in to ease racial
tensions last fall after four African-Americans were charged with the
brutal killing and robbery of six Mexican immigrants in Tifton. And in
the spring, when Latinos protested in the streets for immigration
reform, comparisons to the civil rights movement didn't always sit well
with those whose ancestors came to the United States not willingly but
in chains.
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino
Elected Officials, was shocked at the anti-immigrant screeds from
callers when he went on a predominantly African-American radio show in
Atlanta. "There were some pretty harsh comments, like we should be
shipping them all back, they're stealing our jobs," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez, whose group co-sponsored the comedy event, attributes that
friction to politicians pitting blacks and Latinos against each other.
Forging friendships with the Jewish community is critical, too, with
anti-Semitism on the rise in parts of Latin America, he said. "That's
why it's even that much more important that we build bridges here," he
said.
Though there were a few squirm-in-the-chair-moments -- Lesser joked
that his mother, upon meeting his Latina wife, asked her to clean the
bathrooms -- most in the audience seemed to enjoy the humor.
Among those laughing was Claudia Goffan of Dunwoody. Originally from
Argentina, she's also Jewish. And Goffan came to the event with
Franklin McGruder, an African-American who heads up Atlanta's sister
city initiative with Rio de Janeiro. "Between us, we get a triple
whammy," Goffan said.
In an attempt to make the night more meaningful, the organizers asked
the comedians to gather for a question-and-answer session afterward.
But one stereotype -- comics can't be serious on stage -- held
true.
"If anybody needs their house painted, Manny will be at home tomorrow,"
Griff joked as the session started.
Oliveira didn't miss a beat, motioning back to Griff. "If anybody needs
their house robbed," he said to a roar of laughter.
Then the moderator motioned to Lesser. "Or refinanced, right?" she
said.
Asked how his culture influenced his comedy, Lesser couldn't resist.
"My culture pretty much owned the club," he said.
Even so, the comedians did personify the increasingly blurry lines
between racial and religious groups in the Atlanta melting pot.
Oliveira, who is of Cape Verdean ancestry, has a black grandmother.
Griff's ex-wife and the mother of his two sons is a Latina raised by
white parents. And Lesser is married to a woman from El Salvador.
"I live this event," he said.
After the comedians exited the stage, Joan Borchardt was among the
audience members struggling to summarize the night. "I loved it," said
Borchardt, who is Jewish. "It was equal opportunity offensive."
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