COMEDY WITH SOMETHING TO SAY

Comedy doesn't have to be politically pointless....

DESPITE being a show that purportedly covers political issues and events, the alleged humour on TV3's The Project is remarkably apolitical, bordering on asinine.

As well as not being funny, it has nothing to say about what it means to be living in New Zealand in 2017. The Project doesn't think that comedy has any role in "speaking truth to power'. Jessie Mulligan, Josh Thomson and Kanoa Lloyd  much prefer to snigger at silly videos they've dredged up from YouTube and elsewhere. It ain't working for them ratings-wise.

With Mike Hosking busy campaigning for the National Party on Seven Sharp, The Project's response is to play a cute kitten video and make jokes about...whatever.

It doesn't have to be this way. You can be funny and political too. And it's not 'uncool'. Comedian's like The Daily Show's John Stewart have made a successful career out of it and delivered up healthy ratings. Sometimes this is referred to as political satire. It's OK to UPSET and OFFEND people. Being NICE  all the time is BORING.

Here's another US comedian, unfamiliar to most New Zealanders, talking about politics in a serious way and making a point. He’s also funny and entertaining. Jimmy Dore does live shows throughout the United States and he's also got his own channel on YouTube. But obviously this sort of thing is just too clever for The Project.