Laugh out loud!

Comedians how many times do you listen to them? Indeed you need a certain kind of humour to understand them and to have that good laugh and indeed not each comedian is great but that doesn't mean you should avoid them all. There's a time for everything and everyone. My favourite comedians with us also called cabaret artists are still mostly Dutch men. Men, not women and even men who died. A few are no longer active but their shows are topical.

As a child I already liked theatre and Wim Sonneveld was a favourite of mine. He was but Wim Kan was boring to me. On New Year's Eve it's normal in the Netherlandsto watch or listen to the 'New Year's Speech' of an artist chosen by? No clue who asks these people but someone willing to tell about the year that ended. For many years it seemed as if only a hand few did it in turn. Wim Sonneveld, Wim Kan, Youp van 't Hek and later Toon Hermans. In the old days many were boring and talked mainly about politics. Toon Hermans was different, an artist even children understood. He performed, could sing and was a painter and poet too. A very talented man. The next man was Herman Finkers. He's from the east of the Netherlands and speaks with a certain dialect. A dialect that doesn't sound flattering to many but he made his home town Almelo famous with it and it wasn't seen as discrimination as he called himself or the people in that area 'stomme tukkers' (stupid farmer). If it comes to jokes and discrimination comedians, artists get away with it especially if they say about themselves what others think about them.

If foreigners believe they are the only ones being discriminated -how easily we use this word- they are wrong. No country is one big happy nation. Each area or even village cares mainly about itself. The own dialect is most important and normal. What the rest of the country speaks is a threat. Each province has it's own speciality, food, expressions, habits and there are provinces who love to be independent.

Herman Finkers did brighten up my life for many years. That might sound strange but he did just like Rowan Atkinson and the good BBC series 'Keeping up appearances' and the Belgium comedian Urbanus. Next it became silent.

I gave up on watching television and stuck to the comedians I bought on VHS video and DVD. Good enough to watch and listen to for a few times a year.

Going out was no longer a part of my lifestyle because of too much work and children. Keep in mind that rushing to go out isn't relaxing and even if your children are allowed to enter a theatre it means -in my case- I always need to pay the price of 4 if not 5 tickets which makes it expensive to have a good laugh, expensive and it tires you out to drive through half of the country. To me it's not funny or relaxing and like I wrote once before it's easier to laugh in my own home, just like I don't need a bar to be funny or go to a restaurant to have a good meal. Going out is disappointing in most cases because of other people.

The past years I missed the arising of new comedians. Once in a while I heard about men like Hans Teeuwen but he was never attractive to me. Some people have too much energy, are too jumpy, and a comedian with ADHD making jokes which I don't consider as funny is not worth my time. Of course who you like, who can make you laugh depends on who you are. It has nothing to do with age but where you grew up and the life experiences do influence your sense of humour. Sarcasm is humour to me, I can have a good laugh about own short comes and I wish more people could. I consider myself lucky my children have a great sense of humour and don't feel insulted about every word said. If you see everything as an insult your life is hard.

Lately I wondered what happened to us people. I remember I asked myself exactly the same over thirty years ago. At that time I just moved and introduced myself to the neighbours. These people thought I was crazy. No one gave a damn about the new neighbour, liked to know you. Helping your neighbours out was already on it's return.

I did had a great time with some neighbours though no matter how miserable I felt in that small super religious village where they claimed that families and children are important and said they lived by god's rules. Rules which interesting enough were not practised if it came to those who didn't belong to the same church. I was lucky to have one great helpful neighbour who had a funny brother as well. Turkish people who respect me more than the Dutch in the same village ever did.

A while ago I have been watching a few shows of Dave Chappelle. Some are funny but not all of them. The problem with Dave is he doesn't come with something new. It's each time, year after year, the same joke he makes. If it comes to jokes the fun is over if you know him already. It's good he did -for now?- his last show (see Netflix if you are interest) it's just a pity there isn't much left.

There are hardly theatre shows because of the pandemic. With us some artists started again while others refuse to stimulate the polarisation. Theatre, humour should be for all. If these days will return I don't know. Most likely the rich will not give up on their lifestyle. While the people need to obey and be happy with nothing the wealthy party on. It's not that different from how it always has been and if it's for you you can only blame yourself. You let it happen. You preferred to be a gaming, telly slave instead of living a life and go outside.

Those comedians are still there. You might need to search for them but I noticed many started a site of their own. They have shows ore a daily message or a weekly one. People with courage, a strong will and humour who have a message for you. They make you think and laugh and believe me one good laugh a day isn't even enough to keep a doctor away. We need to laugh, see the humour of the joke we live in. Not the drama. When was the last time you laughed? How much time a day, of your life you spend laughing out loud? A real laugh not that made up one to keeping up appearances? Search the internet for someone who can do this to you. At this moment it's Najib Amhali for me. Who is your favourite comedian?

#kittywu #laugh #life