Why I Stopped Doing Stand-Up

"Self-deprecating humor is the lowest form of comedy. And I can't even do that right." - unknown

From my stand up days. Yes, I had blue hair.

Sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, I'll stop what I'm saying and mumble something about how I could totally write a stand-up bit about that. That's not just me being fanciful-- I actually used to perform stand-up comedy at a local open mic bar.

At the time, I was 19 or 20 years old and one of the two female performers who would regularly pop in to the twenty or thirty person open mic. I couldn't drink, but the open mics were taking place at 10:30 pm, so I was plenty delusional and weird anyway.

I tried different styles, I got laughs, and it felt good. I would heckle the other comics (basically boo or shout something from my seat). I could be myself, I could be sarcastic and weird. And it was fun.

In my last post, I wrote about my journey sophomore and junior year to becoming the woman I am today. Stand-up comedy was a gateway to self growth, but it was something I had to leave behind.

I am brilliant; I am flawed.

About a month ago, I had a pretty long text conversation with my uncle about feminist critiques of the protagonists of coming of age novels such as "Catcher in the Rye". (Because, you know, that's the type of small talk you get with me). My argument, largely based on a piece by Roxane Gay titled "Not Here to Make Friends" revolved around the double standards of personality traits in literature depending on gender. For example, characters such as Holden Caufield in "Catcher in the Rye" are read as dark, moody, mysterious, troubled, while women are painted as unlikable, threatening, and I'll just say it, bitchy.

Hillary Clinton is not a Psychopath

Hey 2017-- I know you're all high on your horse because 2016 was so universally hated, but don't forget you're got like, 2 weeks left. Then it's innoguation day and the future becomes pretty fuzzy after that.

The year is ending with Trump demanding Americans accept the election results. Which is fair, I suppose. He did say he would accept the results if he won. The one thing he was truthful about, and this is what we're stuck with-- damnit, Donald!

Let me be clear here: I am not arguing that the election was rigged, or hacked, or the results are untrue in any way. I will say this, and this is important.

The people elected Hilary Clinton. The system elected Donald Trump.

The title of this post is regarding the constant allegations that Hillary Clinton is a psychopath, or a pathological liar, or literally the devil. I am not even going to begin to discuss my thoughts on Donald Trump's psychological health.

Because the political spectrum at my college extends all the way from leftist to liberal, I often stumble around conservative articles and podcasts to make sure I am hearing both sides. Partisan politics and biased news coverage concern me, and hopefully I can write more about that. In order to avoid getting sucked into my liberal bubble of Buzzfeed and John Oliver, I will push my comfort zone and purposely listen to conservative viewpoints. Specifically, I will tune in to Louder with Crowder (Steven Crowder), because he has a podcast and I can knit to that.