One phenomenon that is extremely common in comedy circles all across the western world is for writers and performers of political satire to see themselves as brave and rebellious. Many of them truly believe that they are "speaking truth to power" with their jokes and jibes, and that they are often risking some sort of severe punishment by the state as a result.

In the vast majority of cases these beliefs are completely unfounded. This is because the claims of sexism, racism, greed, corruption and other vices made by the satirist are usually only believed by his audience. And even if this does amount to a large number of people, it's never large enough to have some demonstrable political influence. So in democracies like Australia satire almost never lands a punch on its target. Even if it does, citizens have too many rights in their favor for a politician to seek vengeance on him. He just wouldn't dare. 

This is not the case in a lot of other countries, however. In places where tyranny and corruption are widespread, those mocking the powerful are taking huge risks. Take the Iraqi comedians who are poking fun at Islamic State in the show State of Myths, for example. Sure, IS are not presently ruling the city in which the show is produced. But they are certainly aiming to. And they could well achieve this aim if not decisively beaten, and soon. In any case, the show is being broadcast in areas held by the barbaric fanatics. 

Considering the Islamists' reputation for extreme acts of brutality, being involved in any way in this production -- and particularly in a visible role as an IS character -- is courageous indeed. I doubt very much that any of the western comics who think of themselves as courageous would attempt anything so daring if they found themselves in a similar situation. 

I'm down here in Australia so I'm nowhere near full bottle on the US comedy scene. Most of what I know about it comes from watching chat shows like Conan, Letterman, etc. While the majority of the episodes broadcast are up to date, quite a few are from a while back.

Anyway, some months ago I was watching Conan and Tig Notaro was a guest. She was introduced as this amazingly brave comedian who'd survived cancer, and she had a CD out that Louis CK was raving about.

First thing I thought when I heard about the cancer: I'll bet she's not that funny. They're just saying that because they feel obligated to. They think she's gone through hell, and is raising awareness about her illness so she deserves support ... But I certainly hoped to be proved wrong.

Anyway, she chatted to Conan and described all these horrific events in her life. And she joked about them. My heart went out to her. She was clearly a very strong woman. But my suspicions were confirmed. Even though I really wanted to find her funny, I just couldn't.

A couple of nights ago I saw another Conan episode in which she appeared (this, like so many episodes shown here, was from several months ago, I think). I watched with interest to see if she had anything actually witty or amusing to say. She chatted with Conan but again I didn't even crack a smile.

She showed a gonzo segment making fun of how so few people recognize her, even though she's technically "famous". In the piece she went around to various businesses trying to get her photo placed on the wall. It was excruciatingly unfunny.

Sure, I haven't seen her do a standup set. Maybe she's much better doing prepared material. But from what I've seen so far she strikes me as being seriously overrated. Actually, I think she's quite dim. And dimness is not a characteristic you tend to associate with comics. Even if their schtick is not to your liking, you can always see the intelligence in their eyes

I think Tig Notaro has been getting by mostly on her identity. She's a woman in a male dominated profession, appears to be a lesbian and is a cancer survivor. So she's held to a much lower standard than other comics. Most of the people in the comedy scene wouldn't dare criticize her. To do so would qualify them as heartless, illiberal reactionaries.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh?