Rebel Comedy: Stand-Up In Saudi Arabia 

We, as Americans, get pretty jaded about stand-up comedy. After all, you see one too many unfunny hacks at places like The Chuckle Hut in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and it’s hard to remember how important it is as an art. Comedian’s like Lewis Black, George Carlin, and Andy Kaufman were no less artists than any author or painter.

Well, a BBC News report shows how important comedy really is in Saudi Arabia, a country with severe restrictions on free speech.  Simple things like cursing, sex jokes, and even women doing comedy are not legal, but that doesn’t stop Saudi comedians. They risk their freedom (and possibly life) performing in secret shows in more remote places away from the mutaween (Saudi religious police).
So while we might take stand-up for granted, with all of it’s two-drink-minimums and schlocky jokes, it is important to remember the impact a laugh can make.