Comic Judah Friedlander slams Hollywood

As someone who writes about women’s issues, racism and social inequality, I'm routinely labelled an “angry feminist” and a “social justice warrior” by online trolls and so-called "men's rights activists."

It's amusing and ironic because I’m quite pleasant in real life, and despite popular belief, I have a sense of humour.

That's why I had to talk to comedian Judah Friedlander after watching his hysterical Netflix comedy special, America is the Greatest Country in the United States. It's an 84-minute stand-up routine shot in New York City's Comedy Cellar, filled with socially and politically-charged material, delivered in Friedlander's trademark laid-back, deadpan style of comedy.

Obviously, when I reached Friedlander on the phone, we talked about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Hollywood and sexism.

Trump a symptom, not the problem

“Trump is very likely to win again,” Friedlander said confidently, a week before his performance at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. “As a country, we still have a lot of power, so people won’t play fair when it comes to ruling over that power.

"We have a long history of election corruption in this country... so many things that should be illegal about our voting system aren’t — gerrymandering, purging voters, low-income black neighbourhoods with one voting machine, etc.”

Friedlander, based in New York City, is known for various television and film roles, including 30 Rock and American Splendour, the latter of which earned him a best supporting actor nomination at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. He's an author and an actor, but says he's most at home on stage, doing stand-up comedy around the world.

His riffs on America’s narcissism, exceptionalism and absurd policies effortlessly highlight the country's political divide, and a lack of progressive political progress that makes America’s inflated self-importance appear even more hilarious. He may not define himself as a political comedian, but make no mistake — he’s an intelligent, well-informed, socially conscious person who writes and performs comedy for people who think.

In our conversation, however, Friedlander was reluctant to spend too much time analyzing Trump. He believes the loud-mouthed Republican businessman to be a symptom of a problem, rather than the problem itself, and warned that while Trump is easy to make fun of, too much time spent doing so is a distraction from his troublesome policies.

"If you portray them as dumb you make them appear innocent, less dangerous," he explained. "As comedians we did something similar with George W. Bush. We have to be mindful to criticize the entire system that enables the existence of politicians like Trump.”

He called the president an "excellent candidate for hate," however, and called on the American public to scrutinize the systemic cultural values that brought Trump into power, in addition to the man himself.

“If we got rid of Trump would we be better off? Of course, but those people who believe that just getting rid of him will solve our current problems and we’ll all go back to being fine, are not paying attention," he said.

"...The entire spectrum of our political system needs to be scrutinized — not just Trump — because these problems were always there. Trump wasn’t responsible for the transatlantic slave trade or Jim Crow laws.”

Out with supremacy, in with structural change

Friedlander considers himself an outsider, both personally and professionally, but also politically. He doesn’t identify as either a Democrat or a Republican, and laments the black and white set up of the system.

“The way our binary system is set up, you’re either a Dem or with the GOP, which creates this polarization and division in the country,” he said. “But criticism of our system has to be more nuanced than that. Even the Democratic party here isn’t really that left of centre."

Part of the problem, he explained, is supremacy of white men and corporations in America, which he calls "corrupt capitalism." That whole system has got to go, he added, or at least be reworked in a way that benefits the general public as much as the privileged elite.

"How do you fight against systemic injustice when you’re in-fighting, or just trying to make a living, because economic and social inequality prevent you from doing that?" he asked. "It’s why removing someone like Trump from office won’t automatically fix the problem because fixing the system requires structural change.”

Hollywood, Hillary and sexism

Eventually, our conversation turned to Hillary Clinton. I couldn't resist asking Friedlander if he thought sexism played a role in her electoral defeat in 2016. His response, naturally, was quick and witty:

“Just line up the photos of every single U.S. president in U.S. history and you’ll have your answer. You have a bunch of white guys and that other guy."

Friedlander said many Americans lack self-awareness and accountability. It's something he targets in his stand-up, which often spotlights their extraordinary ability to be ignorant beyond their immediate surroundings.

"We're very good at looking out the window, we're not good at looking in the mirror,” he said.

It's this form of satirical comedy he enjoys performing most. But it's really a political free-for-all, he added, debunking the myth that "most comedians are left-wing."

“I think all aspects of comedy are important," he insisted, "and since narcissism is a big problem in the U.S., I won’t sit here arrogantly and claim that my kind of comedy is more important, but I think it would be bad if we stopped doing political routines.”

Despite Friedlander's popularity, he still prefers to fly solo in Hollywood, as a result of his progressive politics.

“I haven’t had an agent or management for years,” he confessed. “Hollywood is a very corrupt industry and not nearly as progressive as it thinks it is. It’s in fact become more corporate over the years and let me tell you… these are not left-wing people. It is one of the most hierarchical systems I’ve ever seen. I can’t think of any industry more perfectly designed to oppress and abuse people.”

The victims of Harvey Weinsten would certainly agree.

Time to rock the #MeToo boat

Earlier this month, Friedlander performed at a fundraiser for Breakthrough U.S., an organization that uses media and technology to support a culture that makes gender-based violence unacceptable. The fundraiser was awesomely-titled ‘Dudes Against Violence Against Women Because DUH.'

Friedlander has been a supporter of the #MeToo movement since the early days, and said broadly, comedians can do more to prop it up.

“When #MeToo started making waves in the comedy world, I remember speaking up in support of these women and I was shocked by how many comedians chose to say nothing,” he revealed.

“So much of this business is done by brown-nosing, ass-kissing folks who don’t want to rock the boat and rattle the system. It’s about power. Comedians are labelled as truth-tellers, but it’s often not the case. They protect their status and power has a way of protecting abusers.”

Friedlander believes there needs to be a more layered and nuanced look at #MeToo and what it’s fighting for.

“With any kind of movement bringing about change, things are going to get sloppy sometimes, nothing is perfect, but I fully support it. I think the movement is still in its infancy stage, but it’s wonderful to see people speaking out and actually being taken seriously," he said.

The harassment and abuse cases that have come to light to date are the tip of the iceberg, he added, on top of so many that will never be exposed as some survivors choose not to talk about their experiences.

Humour as a tool for social change

While Friedlander’s tête-à-tête with audience members tends to elicit some of the loudest laughs of his latest Netflix special, the show manages to touch upon some of the biggest crises facing America right now.

Mass shootings, mass incarceration, the over-representation of people of colour in for-profit U.S. prisons, police brutality and racial profiling, racial segregation, the lack of paid maternity leave, and abortion rights are just some of the issues casually thrown into the routine and scrutinized.

Humour has long been a tool for powerful political messages and social change. Like editorial cartoons, a lot can be said with very little, and comedy is often the best format to illustrate the absurdity and incoherence of modern political and social structures that have left the 99 per cent behind.

It stings while it makes you laugh, and it’s precisely this non-aggressive format that makes so powerful in exposing the truths that most people don't want to hear.

Celebrated American author and feminist bell hooks once said, “We cannot have a meaningful revolution without humour.” Humour is a non-threatening venue for challenging the status quo, that forces people to question and rethink what they thought to be true.

Like art in general, it’s power lies exactly in its ability to catch you off-guard.

Toula Drimonis writes from Montreal. Use the promo code TOULA today and save 20% on an annual subscription to National Observer.