The Dilemma of Stand Up Comedy

I love stand up comedy. The whole goal of making people laugh is a very good one. We take ourselves WAY to seriously in America now-a-days, and plus, so many people are just downright depressed. (I know you cannot have true joy without Christ, but that is a topic for another time. And yes, I'm going to be like Herodotus and just die before I can actually come back and address something that I promised you all I would address).

But with stand up comedy going the way it is now, well, I am presented with an interesting dilemma. So much of the comedy scene is populated by downright dirty, smutty, vulgar jokes. Dane Cook is a great example. He certainly has a stage presents, he is one of the best paid comics in the world, but boy is he vulgar! "F***" replaces "like" as the standard verbal tick when he's on stage.

Then you have people like Jim Gaffigan. Clean, really funny... but then I started stumbling upon some of his more blasphemous routines and became very uncomfortable.

Even worse is Lewis Black, who is as vulgar as Dane Cook, and has all the passion of Richard Dawkins. Outspokenly Jewish, Black goes on to rail against the Old and New Testament and how evil the God of the Old Testament is. Blasphemy to the nth degree.

You're left with comics like Brian Regan holding the bag, as far as good family friendly comedy goes. He does an admirable job, but it's not enough. He's a good comic, but not an excellent one. But if he and his kind are not supported, we won't see many more, if any, clean comedians take the stage and make the masses laugh harder than they have ever laughed before.

Is there a need? Yes, I would say so. We need more really solid Christians playing the comedy circuits. If I'm so adamant about it, why don't I go? Fair question. Safe to say... I am seriously considering it. (Or would that be funnily considering....? Nevermind.)

In the meantime, here's a clean comic doing the routine I stole in my last post: "On a chair... IN THE SKY!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOtEQB-9tvk

In Christ, with laughter, though war,
JSTT