To what extent does our society allow humor and the freedom of speech? Everything that is allowed always has certain limitations and barriers. Depending on society, jokes are perceived as humorous or dull. All of this is dependent on how one individual was raised and what culture background he/she comes from. If a Mexican joke was told by a Mexican; would Mexicans get offended or laugh? Same controversy arrives from a Canadian telling a Mexican jokes. Some would see this as unacceptable that promotes racial and a discrimination attitude toward those certain races also enforces negative stereo types. Does a joke have the same meaning if it originates from that origin or does it have more of an impact if it was announced by another culture? The prefect example of this question would be from the comedian Carlos Mencia. Carlos Mencia is a Mexican, comedian born in Honduras Mexico. Carlos with his aunt and uncle arrived in America when Carlos was only a year old. His mother let his aunt and uncle raise him as Carlos's house was already packed with family and couldn’t take anymore members. Carlos was an exceptional student, receiving high grades in all his courses of high school. However growing up in East Los Angeles where gang life was dominant had a very large impact on Carlos. Carols returned to Honduras to escape the violence of the streets. He only saw that his house was just as inhabitable in Honduras as the streets of LA. Returning to Los Angeles, Carlos finished high school and went to university to major in electrical engineering. One credit shy of a diploma, Carlos went in pursuit for a comedy career. Starring in many HBO specials, Carlos made the audiences laugh with tears. Portraying views based on cultures and races even minorities like handicap people, often promoting certain stereotypes which made certain people feel uncomfortable. Many people frowned upon Carlos's work, saying it promotes negative attitudes to certain cultures. Many people also accused Carlos to have plagiarized works from Bill Cosby and other comedians. When Carlos was confronted on a television show Jimmy Kimmel Live about himself telling racial jokes and negative slurs on feministic views, Carlos responded in a way that justified himself too many but left many in the dark. Carlos himself is interested to what degree is humor accepted. Carlos came out with his own show “Mind of Mencia”. He often goes onto the streets and confronts people about their views and beliefs on jokes. People differ from individual to individual. Many people say it is unacceptable to use some jokes and others are in full compliance. Carlos stated “Words only affect individuals if those individuals allow them to” this is an excellent statement. What does Carlos mean by this statement? Is he racist or just humorous? What do you think about Carlos’s jokes?
Video Clips
