I have a confession to make. I went and saw Milo Yiannopoulos’s show in Sydney last week, and in addition to being controversial and entertaining, I noticed something odd. I felt a sense of deja vu.
I’ve seen and heard all of this before. I’m not talking about what Milo said, or the ideas he stands for, but something about the delivery struck familiar ground.
And then it came to me: Milo is a comedian.
Who else gets up on stage, makes people laugh and boo and when all the jokes are told, think about the world differently? That’s right, comedians do.
Comedians quite often have controversial opinions about hot topics. By approaching the topics with humour they are able to convey points of view that otherwise would not be considered. They bridge divides in thinking and get people to question firmly held beliefs.
So I listened and heard a humorous argument that will often get one shouted out of a room. And yes, while some of the jokes were a little mean spirited, for the most part he kept the show moving.
Being able to talk about issues is perhaps the most important thing that I took away from the talk. The people protesting his shows seem to have forgotten that the issues affecting all of us are part of a discussion, not a one sided diatribe, and their efforts to silence difference of opinion are only going to alienate increasing numbers of people.