Comedian Trevor Noah called out for ‘racist’ and insensitive jokes on Pakistan-India tension
People from the Subcontinent aren’t very pleased with Comedian Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show. He recently tried to make light of the tension between Pakistan and India on the show and it backfired.
He said while he hopes the two countries don’t go to war, if they did it would be the “most entertaining war of all time”. He then went on to perpetuate stereotypes by saying Indian soldiers would run onto the battlefield and shoot while singing and dancing.
Netizens aren’t very happy with the South African comedian and have called his comments “downright offensive” and “racist”. Many have said they are extremely disappointed with him.
After receiving a lot of backlash on Twitter, Noah posted this:
It’s amazing to me that my joke about the conflict in India and Pakistan trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself. Sometimes it seems like people are more offended by the jokes comedians make about an issue than the issue itself.
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) March 2, 2019
Actually if you watch my stand up you’ll see that I did make jokes after my mother was shot in the head. As a comedian I use comedy to process pain and discomfort in my world but I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that’s not what I was trying to do. https://t.co/OuVnkHyIfG
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) March 2, 2019
Unfortunately, his apology fell flat too. He said as a comedian he uses comedy to process pain and discomfort but people weren’t impressed with this explanation of why he would make light of a conflict that could result in the deaths of many people.
This is just vile & despicable. You’ve called out racial injustice, violence against women, bigotry & colonial oppression in the past. And now @Trevornoah you’ve undone all you claimed to have stood for with this racist, insensitive & ignorant attempt at a quick gag. #TrevorNoah pic.twitter.com/L397Q7pTIc
— Arunoday Mukharji (@ArunodayM) March 2, 2019
Mate, your racist joke was criticised by a small section of people on social media. Don’t be under the impression that it mattered more than the conflict itself. Most people don’t even know you here. People have lost lives.
— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) March 3, 2019
Racist. Stereotypical. And downright offensive. It is true indeed, these days the moment you think someone is cool and wise, they do a @Trevornoah on you and flush down the entire goodwill! https://t.co/TJoxGrFd1c
— Ritesh Uttamchandani (@photowallah) March 1, 2019
This is a seriously shitty take. Also factually incorrect. In the nations that were involved in potential conflict, the soldiers trended far more than your “joke”. It’s surprising to see that racist stereotypes aren’t a problem for you when it comes to other cultures.
— Sandhya Ramesh (@sandygrains) March 3, 2019
PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who was stuck in Dubai when Pakistani airspace closed after the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian jets that violated Pakistani airspace, also chimed in on the debate.
Make jokes not war? Much better plan. Sorry to hear about your mother. Traumatic for any son and never cool for anyone else to joke about. Peace from Pakistan.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) March 2, 2019
A number of Indian comedians and celebrities also called him out for his jokes.
