Satire makes Canadian comedy shows click
"Not all viewers will share this sense of humour."
RON DE BOER
Special to CW
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A few weeks ago, I took a group of students to the CBC studios in Toronto to view a taping of the Royal Canadian Air Farce, Canada’s best-known comedy program. As part of the “live studio audience” we were treated to 10 sketches poking fun at Canadian stereotypes and national issues of the day.
On the bus trip home, I couldn’t help feeling a touch of pride about Canadian humour and the wit and intelligence expressed through Canadian-made television comedies. Our willingness to laugh at our shortcomings, insecurities and idiosyncrasies sets Canadians apart from our neighbours to the south.
Two Canadian programs that satirize the world from a uniquely Canadian perspective are the Royal Canadian Air Farce, which airs Friday nights, and This Hour has 22 Minutes, which comes on Monday nights.
Their strength is their use of satire, which the English Oxford Dictionary describes as “the employment of speaking sarcasm, irony or ridicule in denouncing or exposing folly, abuses or evil of any kind.” Perhaps this lofty definition could itself be the target of a sketch, but it hints at the undercurrent that makes these shows work. (On the downside, both programs are often vulgar for no compelling reason.)
Skewer the folly
Transforming themselves into a host of characters, Air Farce satirists Luba Goy, Don Ferguson, John Morgan and Roger Abbott skewer abusive politicians, evil celebrities and the folly of average Canadians. Many of the characters are ordinary citizens at a donut shop or hockey rink, giving their unique view of federal handouts, drug-addicted musicians and pig cloning.
Air Farce leaves no popular culture or political stone unturned. Recently the show featured Monica Lewinsky touring Parliament and presented the prime minister’s fireside chat (which required closed captioning for the “Chrétien impaired”).
Air Farce displays a unique ability to blend seemingly opposite subject matter together to create irony. For example, children’s entertainer Taffi (Raffi) sings about Augusto Pinochet in her song, “Don’t Cry for Me Chilly Dictator.”
Air Farce’s wit and depth make it popular with adults, but children and even teens will not likely find the humour engaging. A broad knowledge of Canadian politics will help anyone understand the underlying satirical thrust of the sometimes slapstick sketches. Some Christians, however, will view it at face value and be offended by the irreverent tone and language of the show.
Volatile mix
Satire and the likelihood of giving offense are also thick on the award winning This Hour Has 22 Minutes, which stars Rick Mercer, Cathy Jones, Greg Thomey and Mary Walsh. Its producer claims that with its “volatile mix of news satire, sketch comedy, scathing editorial and collective comic genius of the dynamic cast and their alter egos,” 22 Minutes is “hailed by critics and feared by public figures.” Indeed it is.
Mercer, clearly the show’s star (he once managed to coerce Prime Minister Jean Chrétien into a Harvey’s for a burger and fries lunch), frequently goes to the U.S. in his “Talking to Americans” segment. The idea is to expose how little Americans know about us Canadians.
Mercer recently targeted political science students at Princeton University and asked them such questions as “Have you heard of Prime Minister Tim Horton?” Most had. Mercer asks students if they know what a “double-double” is, then explains that the term refers to both sides of congress agreeing on an issue. He even gets multiple signatures from American students on a petition to stop Mel Lastman from slaughtering polar bears in Toronto.
A major strength of 22 Minutes is its parody news segment, which exposes every aspect of Canadian politics and celebrity living–all from a uniquely Canadian perspective. But, as the show itself warns, “not all viewers will share this sense of humour.”
22 Minutes speaks for a Canadian citizenry well aware of its relatively insignificant place in the global scheme, a populace in the shadow of a great body-builder neighbour. However, we’re also clever enough to get the best of the stuffed shirt politicians who claim they know the plight of western farmers or eastern fisherman; we’re witty enough to outsmart those Americans to whom we everlastingly compare ourselves.
By watching these programs, we feel we’re in on the joke. They inspire and encourage us, even though gas prices are going up and the government keeps cutting health care spending.
Ron De Boer teaches media studies in Kitchener, Ontario and is project leader of the Ontario Media Literacy website: www.angelfire.com/ms/MediaLiteracy/index.html. Contact him directly at: rondebo@enoreo.on.ca