Disability and Comedy

[Danielle “Dani” Liptak]

This past August, I started working at a comedy club in the ticket booth. I met a lot of comedians that have a range of humor. For many of them, I am the first wheelchair user/ disabled person they have ever been around. Some of them use language talking about people with disabilities that I find offensive, but it seems to be different in the comedy world.

Have you ever been offended by someone’s comedy, whether about you or disability in general? Do you think a comedian doesn’t have to use derogatory terms to make people laugh? Have you ever thought of doing comedy, such as stand-up or an open mic? A lot of people use humor to cope with their diseases and ailments.

[Pete Barron]

I used to have a “knee jerk” reaction to comedies that react to disabilities negatively. I have grown to actually appreciate them now. I now see how treating everything alike (making fun of everything) actually evens the playing field. If we are all made fun of and everything is made fun of it shows how serious negative treatment of one particular group is “laughably” bad. We all need to laugh at ourselves, it shows that we are more than our disability, that we are human.

[Leah Leilani]

I never thought about it that way. I find that I can be offended sometimes by derogatory terms used in comedy whatever the topic subject might be. Maybe that’s why I don’t watch a lot of stand-up comedy. I like watching Drew Lynch because he primarily makes jokes about himself and how his stutter has an affect on his life in funny ways. I enjoy his humor a lot.

[Danielle “Dani” Liptak]

I wish there were more disabled comedians out there. You’re not funny if you have to use slurs or derogatory terms in your comedy. You’re part of the problem, but that’s just my opinion.

Here is a disabled comedian I like: Being intimate when you are a disabled person | Tim Renko on Live at the Apollo – BBC

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