Darren backs Trevor Noah

Why is Trevor Noah more comfortable telling jokes about other races and cultures than any of the other comics who the Americans as a nation are used to?

Well, I can tell you what I witnessed when I was in the United States. Back in 2000 and 2002. I was in New York City for business and whilst I was there I trawled the open mic comedy clubs – looking to do some open mic gigs and I got to work three rooms. Firstly what I observed was; NONE of the local comics told jokes outside of their small circle of cultural knowledge and personal frame of reference.

That is to say Jewish comics only told jokes about being Jewish and Jewish people and culture and the black comics only told jokes about being black and living in black areas and the Italian comics only told jokes about being Italian and Italian mammas and pasta etc...

They were just not comfortable jesting with other races, and we can see that there is an innate racism which they are not even aware of in the USA. They don’t even think it is safe to talk about other cultures let alone do comedy about other cultures and THAT is where South Africans and Trevor Noah are so completely different.

Here in South Africa we have had to – and been forced to, thankfully, address our racism head on and to incorporate the complexities of other races and cultures into our zeitgeist.

I have Indians in my close knit circle of friends, my best friend is a black guy, I’ve dated coloured girls, I have gone through the spectrum of colour and culture and experienced it first hand in my life and that is why I am able, comfortably, to get up on a stage and tell Indian jokes and coloured jokes and black jokes and white jokes because WE are all the different cultures. 

We are known as the rainbow nation because our colours meld together. Otherwise we would be a 'box of crayons' nation where the colours are together but separate. 

We have immersed ourselves in those cultures – it is what being South African is all about and THIS is going to be the rudest awakening for the Americans who are so very used to staying safely within their own racial, cultural, financial and class clique. It is their only frame of reference - so much so that they don’t even entertain the idea what it might be like to be in another tribe. So to speak.

Trevor speaks seven languages and has toured the world whilst Americans think Disney World is an international trip. Americans talk romantically about their Civil War when Trevor comes from a country that avoided one. I think Jon Steward and The Daily Show know that America can no longer sit on the fence and observe the rest of the international community like it's an episode of National Geographic.

I think they know that America is a part of and not apart from the rest of the planet. And I think The Daily Show has to offer up the same critique and commentary on world matters as Jon Stewart has on American matters.

And I think Trevor Noah is that man.