As Malaysians were riled up by a comedian named Jocelyn Chia for her distasteful joke on the MH370 plane, plenty of netizens have brought this matter up to Malaysian comedian, Harith Iskander, asking for his opinion. Following that, Harith Iskandar who is currently overseas in Paris has responded to this matter in a 2-minute-long video.
M’sian comedian Harith Iskander responds to Jocelyn Chia’s MH370 joke
In his video, Harith started out by greeting the audience and extending his apologies for not speaking up sooner as he is currently not in Malaysia.
“The MH370 event was and still is a deeply traumatic event for us Malaysians”, he said.
Source: Harith Iskander (Facebook)
Throughout the video, Harith Iskander stressed the importance of comedians being cautious of what they use as materials for their stand-up comedy. He mentioned that while he respects the freedom of expression that comedians need to do their jobs, however it is crucial to have some empathy and sensitivity when it comes to certain events especially if it’s personal or tragic.
“Comedy has the power to be a powerful tool for social commentary”, he expressed.
Harith then quoted the iconic superhero, Spider-Man’s famous words, “with great power, comes with great responsibilities”, signifying that comedians hold great power as artists, and they should be aware of the potential consequences of their words. He also said that as comedians, they should all strive to create a positive and inclusive comedic environment.
Source: Harith Iskander (Facebook)
Following that, Harith reveals that he would often use Singapore as part of his comedy materials and sees it as part of friendly banter that allows both countries to coexist, like competitive cousins.
He then ended his video by responding to Jocelyn’s claim about Malaysia being a developing nation saying,
“We may be a developing nation but when it comes to thoughtfulness and kindness, we are definitely first world.”
Source: Harith Iskander (Facebook)
Here’s a reminder to always be mindful of the things you say as it could lead to serious repercussions.
Watch the video below:
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Also read: “She’s no longer Singaporean”, S’pore govt apologises for comedian, Jocelyn Chia’s distasteful joke
