Jokes aside, be careful what you post online, Harith tells comedians

 

Veteran comedian Harith Iskander said there should be no enmity with fellow funnyman Dr Jason Leong just because the latter liked Jocelyn Chia’s stand-up set.

PETALING JAYA: Veteran funnyman Harith Iskander has reminded fellow comedians to be mindful of what they comment or post online, as they can be easily taken out of context.

This comes after netizens slammed local comedian Dr Jason Leong for apparently saying he liked a controversial set by stand-up comedian Jocelyn Chia, who used a US platform to run down Malaysia.

Harith maintained that he was not a fan of “cancel culture” as people should be entitled to their own opinions and to have differing views without being hateful towards one another.

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He said society was getting even more divided nowadays as people would not listen to or accept an opinion that differed from theirs.

“(They) feel the need to ‘cut off’ that opinion, and this leaves less space for discussion and sharing,” he told FMT.

He said Leong and other comedians should consider the consequences before posting something online as there was no space to engage in a debate when commenting on a post.

“Now he has to go about blocking people who are hating on him which, frankly speaking, I think is a waste of time.

“I believe Leong commented that he ‘liked’ Chia’s bit. Some of us did not. Why should that make us enemies?” he said, adding that he personally did not like Chia’s set.

While he understood why some comedians would feel obliged to “defend” Chia in the name of freedom of speech, Harith maintained that comedy had “power” and that this came with the need to act responsibly.

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In a clip that went viral, Chia is heard using profanities to insult Malaysia. She had also made what netizens termed a “bad” joke on the missing MH370 aircraft.

The Malaysia Airlines aircraft went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. All 227 passengers and 12 crew aboard are presumed dead, but the fate of the aircraft remains a mystery.

Singapore’s foreign affairs minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan later apologised for Chia’s remarks, saying he was appalled by the “horrendous statements”.

The Singapore high commissioner to Malaysia, Vanu Gopala Menon, said Chia was no longer Singaporean. “The Singapore government does not condone words or actions that cause harm or hurt to others, and Chia does not reflect our views in any way,” he said. - FMT