The Ice House

Okay,

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So tonight I went to support my former roommate Drew at one of his stand-up shows at The Ice House in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /> Pasadena.  I had a blast, exception to having to buy two beverages to attend plus the additional $10 entrance fee, but it was all for the support of my buddy and to experience it for the first time.

Most of the acts were okay, you get a couple of chuckle and laughs every now and then (me being one of the loudest).  But for some weird reason the topic that night seems to be about "Asians" (not all acts were).  As soon as I started to pick up on that vibe I didn't know how I was going to react to the jokes.  I admit I am a strong advocate of Asian empowerment but tonight was different.  I laugh at the jokes and enjoyed it.  The strange thing was that most none Asian attendees didn't laugh as much and you can hear a couple of woo's and gasp. I didn't really know what to think of it.  Apart of me wanted to stop and get angry but apart of me just wanted to laugh it off and say "It's true, Oh! It's so true"!  

After the show while driving home I started to analyze my reactions.  I came to the conclusion that because these comedians were so honest yet sincere about their jokes on Asians, I have was okay with it and laughed along.  There were a couple of Asian comedians, which I'm very proud of and were fun to watch, but what tops it off is having another race talk about your race and to see if from there views.  The most important part which made me enjoyed the humors was that they weren't bashing on me being Asian but them and their own ignorance.  You can also feel that they have at least experience or have close friends who are Asians who they can relate to.  A comedian who uses stereotypes just to get a couple of laughs without really having to understand the stereotype is pure green in the game of stand-up, I believe. It also raises the questions that maybe we take ourselves a bit too serious sometimes.  I also like to add that what happens in the club stays at the club and doesn't go beyond that, a true professional could understand that.  I enjoyed it and encourage those of you, who haven't yet, to attend a stand-up show in your local area, you never know you could be the next great laugh!