Joe Wong: Understanding Culture through Comedy


Last week, Polytechnic School was visited by celebrated Chinese American comedian Joe Wong.

It was a true pleasure being able, alongside fellow Poly student and Global Scholar Phillip (phillipzgip.blogspot.com), to introduce Mr. Wong to the wider Poly community. Born in China and going on to study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as at Rice University, Mr. Wong has found great success as a comedian, appearing on various well-known shows both in China and here in the U.S. While performing at Poly, Mr. Wong skillfully incorporated his unique comedic style into a deeper discussion of international relations, immigration, and race, all framed in terms of the vast cultural differences that he has experienced as a Chinese immigrant living in the States. For instance, he detailed various ways in which he felt he had to tweak certain jokes depending on the nationality and cultural identity of the audience to which he was presenting.

Ultimately, while Mr. Wong's performances often focus on highlighting the inherent differences between cultures, his work serves as a great reminder of the potential of comedy as a platform for addressing delicate, challenging yet nonetheless important issues in a positive way.

Comments

  1. PZhou2020 January 2020 at 20:31

    Great post. I enjoyed working with you as well and look forward to attending speakers hosted by GIP in the future.

    ReplyDelete

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