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Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room [1]
Ryan's comedic approach to issues faced within #MeToo takes the form of an anecdote, describing how she heckled a play when a character was taken advantage of, the play being Hamilton: An American Musical. She shouts out statements such as "say no to what? She didn't ask you anything" [2:59] and "Her body is not saying that to you"; [3:48] any focus aimed at the victim is empathetic and defensive while being educative too, as she explains why the character is being abused. These jokes are therefore inoffensive to the #MeToo movement because Ryan actively recognises throughout the segment the plight of sexual assault victims. By aiming the comedic aspect at herself, she deflects any jokes surrounding sexual assault momentarily, as she is not a victim in this story. Furthermore, the act of futile confrontation from an audience member to an actor portraying the assaulter is also comedic, as it is a ridiculous and pointless form of activism, and will yield no result.
Secondly, Ryan jokes about how the British audience did not copy her chanting of “put your fucking dick away”, [4:28] which is comedic because it examines and acknowledges the stereotypical attitude of British people when someone acts unconventionally and draws attention to themselves in a public place. In this particular joke, no #MeToo joking occurs, only joking about British stereotypes.
Laughing at the assaulter however does redirect the comedy back into #MeToo, but still without laughing at the victim. By making jokes about the assaulter, it causes the audience to turn against Hamilton, especially if the jokes are successful. Ryan points out the idiocy of Hamilton and his inability to correctly interpret Mrs. Reynolds words as a cry for help, and not a cry for sexual attention.
Secondly, Ryan jokes about how the British audience did not copy her chanting of “put your fucking dick away”, [4:28] which is comedic because it examines and acknowledges the stereotypical attitude of British people when someone acts unconventionally and draws attention to themselves in a public place. In this particular joke, no #MeToo joking occurs, only joking about British stereotypes.
Laughing at the assaulter however does redirect the comedy back into #MeToo, but still without laughing at the victim. By making jokes about the assaulter, it causes the audience to turn against Hamilton, especially if the jokes are successful. Ryan points out the idiocy of Hamilton and his inability to correctly interpret Mrs. Reynolds words as a cry for help, and not a cry for sexual attention.