Clybourne Park Comedians

Clybourne Park is a two-act play based off of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. While Clybourne Park deals with literally every issue you can imagine, this blog will focus on an issue that I deem as one of the most noticeable: humor throughout the years. Acte I (set in 1959) and Acte II (set in 2009) both contain "jokes." However, the jokes have certainly changed between generations. In 1959, the jokes the actors tell are just not as funny to the audience. The humor was dry, a bit bland, and seemed like it belonged on a children's show run by the FCC. Acte II was the complete opposite- it was an FCC nightmare. There were inappropriate sex jokes, off color racist jokes, and jokes that are just offensive. Perhaps the playwright was trying to convey the sense that as the years have gone on, people have loosened their tongues. Nothing is safe anymore, and jokes are made about anything and everyone. This could be a reflection on the loss of society's morals. Nobody bats an eye when the F bomb is dropped nowadays. In fact, I sometimes wonder why it is even a curse word due to the frequency with which it is used today. At any rate, the play really made me evaluate what people find as amusing, and made me question why we find these jokes just so funny?