A painful joke about the covid19 jab

Dara E Healy -
Dara E Healy -

Culture Matters

DARA E HEALY

“Can we just talk a moment about this poor guy? Think about it. He’s minding his own business with his swollen testicles in Trinidad and because his best friend happens to be cousins with Nicki Minaj, now the whole world knows that he’s impotent, he got dumped and he’s got giant testicles. He must be so mad at his friend. ‘But I told you I was going to tell my cousin Nicki in America. Boy, you didn’t tell me your cousin was Nicki Minaj. Nicki Minaj. You gotta say Nicki Minaj.”

– Trevor Noah, talk show host and comedian

NICKI MINAJ was almost certainly not making a joke when she tweeted about the predicament of her cousin’s friend. It is quite possible she meant to counsel her 22 million followers on Twitter and hundreds of millions of fans about their right to decide whether or not to be vaccinated. She advised them to “pray on it” and not be “bullied” by anyone into their choice.

The media frenzy was worthy of her fame. Esquire, Rolling Stones, the New York Times, Jamaica Gleaner, the Daily Show, the BBC, Bangkok Post, Belfast Telegraph, Forbes, Hindu.Com, even Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, commented.

After much “time-wasting,” Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister of Health, confirmed there are no cases of swollen testicles related to the covid19 vaccine. For Deyalsingh, this was no joke.

“Who knew testicle inflation was a side effect of covid?” For Jimmy Kimmel and other influential comedic voices in the United States, Minaj’s tweet provided juicy material. Even Nikki Crosby jokingly worried about being confused for the other Nicki now that she is living in the US.

Of course, humour in a crisis is not unusual. Throughout the centuries it has played a key role in managing depression, fear and feelings of hopelessness during times of disaster.

Humour was used as part of the treatment for Vietnam veterans who returned home to the US.

From the 14th century, researchers discovered “funny tales told by storytellers isolating from the plague” or the Black Death as it was called. And during the 1918 flu pandemic, as daily life became increasingly affected by the disease, cartoons documenting the changes were regularly published in the newspapers.

In one, a woman tells her male friend that she wishes she could get a seat on the tram in which they are travelling. He sneezes without covering his nose, clearing the full tram of any seated passengers. In the final frame, they are both seated in comfort – by themselves.

“It's gonna be hot and wet! That's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good if you're in the jungle.” Not all humour is created equally. In the film Good Morning, Vietnam, Robin Williams played a radio DJ who helped soldiers cope with the horrors of war.

His character, Adrian Cronauer, was chastised by army bosses for being less than respectful about the war and US policy on the drafting of teenagers, racism and other concerns of the time. Needless to say, the soldiers loved Adrian. They felt he gave them a voice.

Laughter often exposes serious social issues. The constant upheaval of the past 18 months has been a test for even the most optimistic of us. In addition to economic difficulties, loneliness and restriction of human contact are beginning to take a toll.

At the same time, people are increasingly concerned about the impact of too much togetherness, causing a decrease in intimacy or intensification of abuse.

Infertility and the effect of vaccines on pregnant women are recurring themes in the questions that arise.

Further, even if one were to put aside the fact that misinformation on social media has slowed global vaccination, it is undeniable that people everywhere have concerns about the safety of the vaccines and their long-term effect on us.

In a very real sense, this pandemic has not only changed human interaction, it has made us think differently about relationships and the various functions associated with procreation of the human race. And that is no laughing matter.

My article today also pays respect to fellow artist Clifford Learmond who recently transitioned after a lengthy battle with his health. He is no doubt already writing one of his wickedly smutty but clever songs about the entire Nicki Minaj fiasco.

The world needs humour, but in these delicate times celebrities must be more cautious of how they wield their influence. I can hear Sprangalang chiming in, “Correct is right.”

Dara E Healy is a performance artist and founder of the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN

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"A painful joke about the covid19 jab"

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