Laughter the Best Medicine: A Comedian on Racism

For more: 2020 marks the year when the whole standup comedy industry awoke to an unprecedented crisis. Performers and open mic-ers had to deal with empty seats or shuttered venues to contain the virus spread. Intertwined with the virus, complex geopolitics has made the world more divided than ever, which pushes the boundaries on which jokes go from laugh-inducing to offensive. Joe Wong, a famous Asian American stand-up comedian, has been an active voice for Asians in the U.S. amid the pandemic. He has slammed white supremacists and initiated a petition to include the Asian American story in U.S. textbooks. Previously, he was also invited to the White House Correspondents Dinner where he roasted then Vice President now President Biden. How did Joe use comedy to navigate a year marred by both COVID-19 and discrimination against Asians? Can he win over a tough crowd or will his campaign fall flat? Tian Wei visited Joe and the conversation started with Spring Festival customs.