When is a joke just a joke, and when does it cross the line to become offensive?
It is true that everyone has a different tolerance for being teased, but some things are just too much to handle.
The American-born, Singapore-bred stand-up comedian, Joycelyn Chia, has publicly responded to the backlash against her joke.
The bottom line? She stands by her actions and thinks that people did not take offence to her jokes about Malaysia.
Here is what she said.
Jocelyn Chia Speaks Up About the Backlash to Her Jokes Regarding Malaysia
Ever since the comedian did her stand-up piece in a comedy theatre in New York last month, Jocelyn Chia’s jokes about Malaysia being a “developing country” and her snide references to the missing MH370 plane have gone viral.
Many people have criticised Chia for being insensitive about her remarks and taking her jokes too far.
Many Singaporeans have also condemned her jokes and have been apologising for the rude behaviour of Chia.
For those who are unaware, Chia was brought up in Singapore and called Singapore “her country” in some of her skits.
Chia has broken her silence on the matter by speaking to CNN. The news outlet reported that Chia had performed her routine “more than a hundred times” over the past one and a half years without issue.
However, the issue blew up this time since the segment was taken out of context in a short clip made for social media.
She further asserts that the joke was a joke, saying that she does “stand by [her] joke” and “in its entirety” though it should be taken with the “caveat” of being “viewed in a comedy club”.
Chia also laments that it is “risky” when a clip meant for a comedy club is viewed outside that safe space.
Furthermore, she says that there were many Malaysian audience members who “clearly did not take offence” to the jokes she made about Malaysia.
There were even those who came up after the show to tell her that they enjoyed her gig. After all, Chia shares, it is “common culture” for comedians to “roast” their audience.
While Chia seems cavalier about her jokes, many Singaporeans have stepped up to apologise to those who were offended by the video.
One of the notable ones was Singapore comedian Kumar, who uploaded an Instagram video earlier this month to apologise for the comments made.
Kumar said that people “shouldn’t use stand-up comedy as a tool to vent out” either “anger” or “hatred”.
The comedian also directly criticised Chia, saying that she “really got some issues”.
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also tweeted an apology to the Malaysians, and the Republic’s High Commissioner to Malaysia made a post to “sincerely apologise to all Malaysians for [Chia’s] hurtful remarks”.