Yesterday, the internet was buzzing about Singaporean comedian Jocelyn Chia after her insensitive joke about MH370 went viral all over social media.
Read: S’porean Comedian Faces Backlash For Insensitive MH370 Joke And Mockery Of Malaysia
As the clip gained millions of views across social media platforms, local comedian Harith Iskander and the Singapore High Commissioner To Malaysia both shared their views on the video.
As we all know, comedy is an art form but its something that the jokester will need to be careful of as what they say can really deem if they get cancelled by society.
Harith Iskander Shares His Perspective
At the time, Harith says he was late to the party as he’s currently overseas and he felt compelled to share his perspective on the joke online as the MH370 tragedy is truly a traumatic experience for Malaysians and many others. Harith also highlighted that comedians need to exercise caution when touching on personal and tragic topics.
My response to Jocelyn Chia's clip which has riled up Malaysians pic.twitter.com/dbP1GBz1As
— Harith Iskander (@HarithIskander) June 7, 2023
“As a comedian, I respect the freedom of expression that we comedians require to do our job. But it is equally important to exercise some level of sensitivity and empathy especially topics that is personal and tragic,” said Harith in his video.
Aside from that, Harith also emphasizes that comedians need to be crucial in finding the balance between comedy, sensitivity and empathy. It's also the job of the comedians to make people laugh but also quote Uncle Ben’s famous line in Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility”.
Comedians must recognize that comedy is subjective as some jokes may be funny to some and others may not entirely like it. Even he admits that he makes fun of Singapore all the time but he only takes it as part of friendly banter that allows them to coexist “like competitive cousins”.
Before ending his video, Harith had indirectly roasted Chia at the end of his video in the most harmful manner which certainly was the icing on the cake to end his perspective of the joke.
“Malaysia, we may be a developing nation, but when it comes to KINDNESS and THOUGHTFULNESS, we are definitely first world, don’t know about other countries though wink wink. It’s a joke.”
Singapore High Commissioner To Malaysia Apologises For The Incident
Meanwhile, after the video blew up, Vanu Gopala Menon who is the Singapore High Commissioner To Malaysia issued a statement on their Facebook page about Chia’s stand-up routine.
“I am appalled by the gratuitously offensive comments made by stand-up performer Jocelyn Chia. The Singapore Government does not condone words or actions that cause harm or hurt to others and Chia, who is no longer Singaporean, does not in any way reflect our views. I sincerely apologise to all Malaysians for her hurtful remarks.
As our closest neighbour, Singapore and Malaysia enjoy a strong and multi-faceted relationship, with deep and cross-cutting ties. We also have unique historical and close people-to-people ties. Comments such as those made by Chia are unhelpful and undermine the close trust and friendship that both our countries and peoples enjoy.”
To add to the anger, Intan Maizura Othman whose husband Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan was onboard the tragic flight had also voiced out and criticized her for being insensitive towards victims.
“No matter how evil you are, you don’t mention MH370 or make fun of it, you know? My son, Mohammad, is still crying until today over his lost papa and here you are having the audacity to make fun of MH370,” she said.
Jocelyn Chia Goes Black On Social Media
Yesterday when visiting her social media pages, Chia had initially limited her page from receiving comments on her page after netizens had bombarded her with criticism. She even responded to some comments stating that Malaysians “don’t understand humour”.
Checking back today, it seems like her official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page has gone dark with the exception of her TikTok page and YouTube Channel still active. At the time of writing, Chia still had the offensive video uploaded on her TikTok but has since been taken down.
As of now, it’s not known if Chia herself had taken her own page down till the controversy dies down or if her page has been officially banned by the respective social media pages.
Well, it looks like the cancel culture is now stepping in and it seems that Chia can’t handle the pressure as she’s being the talk of the town.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Harith Iskander, NST & various cross-references for context.
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