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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that Nish Kumar being booed offstage has cheered me up no end?

269 replies

Gone2far · 04/12/2019 09:58

link
Yes, I am biased, because I've always found his brand of left wing wokery unfunny, but, let's face it, to think he could go on stage in front of that audience, with his usual routine of 'Brexit supporters are stupid' and not get the odd bread roll thrown at him, is pretty arrogant.

OP posts:
BertrandRussell · 04/12/2019 10:47

I honestly can’t see how any of this is his fault. He’s well known. Not sure whether he was asked to perform or volunteered because he’s a cricket fan, but either way, surely they would have had a look at his stuff if they didn’t know it? So presumably he thought he was good to go.

Hoppinggreen · 04/12/2019 10:48

I love Nish Kumar and I’m certainly not a “woke lefty “
However, whoever thought he would go down well With that audience was a complete idiot. Nish should have been treated more politely But he should also have read the audience better.

Trewser · 04/12/2019 10:49

What was 'the audience'? Presumably people that didn't like being called thick and racist?

BertrandRussell · 04/12/2019 10:49

“
"“I should have known this would happen when I agreed to do a set in front of people who colonised my ancestors”

That’s very much a Kumar joke, though. Once again- surely the club would have checked?

Trewser · 04/12/2019 10:50

I wouldn't have imaginied he would be that personal and aggressive tbh. There are clever ways of gently mocking the audience eg the oscars hosts do it well, he went in all guns blazing, what a ninny.

don't condone the bread roll throwing though

BertrandRussell · 04/12/2019 10:51

Is his whole set online anywhere?

Alsohuman · 04/12/2019 10:57

Best tweet on the subject

Schrödinger’s Gammon:
one who simultaneously thinks PC culture had gone too far and lefty snowflakes are too easily offended, BUT will heckle and boo a comedian because they’re too easily offended by the comics jokes.

IHateBlueLights · 04/12/2019 11:00

Love it @Alsohuman

derxa · 04/12/2019 11:02

He's not funny. I had this discussion on another thread. I'm not in the least left wing but I love Alexei Sayle. Nish and current comedians seem to say 'Trump' or 'Brexit' and people dissolve into laughter.
Jo Brand's funny Katherine Ryan's not

Having said all that he was performing for free and throwing a roll was really bad manners.

SickNotes · 04/12/2019 11:05

@Alsohuman Grin.

All of I know of Nish Kumar is from seeing him in about two episodes of Mock the Week, and even from that level of knowledge, it's perfectly obvious he's a leftwing pro-remain comedian, which makes you wonder about the IQ of whoever booked him for that audience. Or did the booker think NK would reinvent his entire persona and set for a single unpaid charity gig?

Butchyrestingface · 04/12/2019 11:05

Yes, I am biased, because I've always found his brand of left wing wokery unfunny

Nowadays, I tend to read such statements as code for “friend of the trans”. No idea whether it’s true.

Having one’s charity event audience throw missiles (albeit only bread rolls) at a performer giving his services for free seems like terribly bad form. What well known (or unknown!) person is going to want to donate time to that charity again??

Beveren · 04/12/2019 11:08

So you're happy about outright bad manners directed towards someone who was giving up his time to help a charity?

I'm afraid it is unfortunately Brexit supporters who come out of this one badly, having showed themselves up royally.

DontLettuceBrexitLettuceRomain · 04/12/2019 11:09

Doesn't matter whether you think he's funny or not. How that audience behaved is ridiculous and insensitive. They were there to raise money for vulnerable children and couldn't even act like grown-ups.

He was asked to do a specific job (they knew his comedy style), he did it for charity, and got things thrown at him.

Are there other jobs where you think people deserve to be pelted while working?

deydododatdodontdeydo · 04/12/2019 11:12

Nowadays, I tend to read such statements as code for “friend of the trans”. No idea whether it’s true.

Well he does have a whole section of his act about trans women and toilets and how they "just want to pee", so you're probably right.
I kind of find him funny sometimes, but I'm not sure he realises how priveleged he is, and comes across as very London liberal elite, despite his Indian heritage.

Vulpine · 04/12/2019 11:12

How anyone can think the behaviour of the audience was ok is beyond me

BertrandRussell · 04/12/2019 11:13

Yes, the idea that he would write an entirely new set about drawers or something for one unpaid gig.....

BertrandRussell · 04/12/2019 11:14

“ but I'm not sure he realises how priveleged he is, and comes across as very London liberal elite,”

That is rather the point of several big chunks of his set!

scatterolight · 04/12/2019 11:15

According to Twitter one of the things he said before he started getting booed was:

“I want you white people in the audience to do something for me. I want you to go home and kill your Brexit-voting parents.”

Is hate speech what passes for comedy these days?

ThinkIamflyingundertheradar · 04/12/2019 11:18

If they wanted a funny, right wing, leave act they should have booked one but I guess such a thing might be hard to find. The only person that springs to mind is Jim Davidson, perhaps they could try him next year Hopefully, like Nish he will give his services free of charge to support this charity.

I’ve never seen Nish Kumar's stand up act but I read the Times report on the gig and I think he handled himself pretty well in the face of a bunch of bad mannered oafs. His responses were funny and he’s got some great publicity out of it.

Dollywilde · 04/12/2019 11:19

I don't think he's very funny. However:

  • the fault is with the person who booked him - his set was entirely normal for him.
  • throwing bread rolls and booing is childish, immature and downright rude and entitled. Not laughing is perfectly appropriate as a response to something that isn't funny.
  • throwing food when it's a charity event and there are underprivileged people visiting food banks each day sits very poorly with me.
  • Nish was giving his time and so it's especially poor form to react in such a stupid, churlish way.

These are grown adults who have plenty of privilege in their lives and should absolutely know better. TBH it underlines the divides in society nowadays for me:

  • The privileged who don't care about others
  • The privileged who do care about others
  • The underprivileged who don't care about others
  • The underprivileged who do care about others

Literally think everyone in UK society nowadays fits into one of the above groups.

Singlenotsingle · 04/12/2019 11:20

Trewser nobody likes being called thick and rascist. You wouldn't, would you?

Anyway, the bread rolls were probably stale. A bit like the so-called comedian.

Nessaofbarry · 04/12/2019 11:23

Yanbu. Funny how a lot of people on Mumsnet were ok when people were throwing milkshakes over right wing MPs but as soon as one bread roll is thrown at someone who is a remainer, they become paragons of virtue

BertrandRussell · 04/12/2019 11:26

“I was surprised at how angry they were but that’s the way it goes at the end of the day. I spend a lot of time bathing in a glow of consensus, but you have to be willing to say something to people who might not agree with you and take the consequences of what follows.“ said Kumar.

Vulpine · 04/12/2019 11:29

One person throwing a milkshake is hardly the same as a crowd throwing stuff. Mob mentality is thick and dangerous.

Eggies · 04/12/2019 11:29

I agree with you OP.

Why do lefties think they're untouchable? Lol