As the boy settled down ready to watch Whitney Cummings: I Love You, he braced himself for a light hearted entertaining comedy performance more suited for a chilling hour. However, he was in for a lot more than what he had anticipated – a funny but deep pursuit of ideals such as relationships, self-acceptance and this modern day situation. At that age of 18, he was stuck somewhere in the emotional-dating-social abstract phase of life and the way Whitney Cummings connected logic with emotion was something he had never seen before.
The first time Whitney Cummings appeared on stage, the first thing that struck him was her passion. The boy was instantly captivated by her assurance and her determination to address issues that were extremely personal as well as global in nature. It wasn’t just her stand-up jokes that evoked laughter from him. This was an issue he understood and evaluated several times but had never put it into words. Cummings had an amazing skill which even adults never mastered – in which even the most plain and boring events in daily life could be turned into real comedian’s routine and everyone would silently or openly appreciate the striking honesty towards life, love and the tragedy of being a human.
Throughout the special, relationships remained the main topic, and the boy was amazed at how accurate her points were and even laughed. Last but not least, Cummings tackled the ridiculous aspects of dating in modern times with a charm that was both vivid and refreshing. Whether it was through the explanation of the dos and don’ts of texting, the roles that each gender plays in relationships, or the obligation of meeting one’s soulmate, the boy could not resist shaking his head as if it was stressed out. For a person in his age dating was like an intricate puzzle with so many issues such as confusion, ghosting, and mixed messages and Whitney Cummings somehow managed to portray this scathing reality too well with her rapid humor.
However, for the boy, it was not only the comedy that came up to scratch, but also the hints of real emotions that were scattered all over the special. She was not only telling jokes about love; she was introspecting upon her previous relationships and examining the influence of those relationships on the view of herself. It was a feeling that the boy could understand even at his age. Who doesn’t have feelings of what if I am not good enough for this person or what if I am not doing it ‘right’ in the relationship. At those moments of second guessing oneself, Cummings’ refreshing openness about her own insecurities reassured him that he was not the only one feeling such despair. Cummings demonstrated that even a woman in her position who exudes confidence and self-assurance is not untouched by these elements.
One part of the special that truly captured the attention of the boy was when Cummings discussed the topic of love for oneself and limits. She demonstrated that to love someone else does not equate to giving up on one’s self or one’s constant efforts in oohhmaahh’ing that other person. In fact, relief came when she was in her most humorous while talking about limits in relationships and playing up their importance in one’s being. This the boy found to be strange, especially because at 18 one is still struggling with the concept of self-emotional care. Cummings made the boy reconsider how one should handle self-love in a funny but relatable way, making it easier for him to understand how boundaries should be drawn against other people as well as oneself.
Further along in the speech, Cummings also addressed gender roles and how society unreasonably expects certain things of both men and women. The boy expressed wishing to know more how she leant about these issues without trivializing them as trying too hard to be funny. The woman explained that many people would expect them to portray inner strength and resilience yet conform to the stereotypes of femininity while men are saddled with the expectation of being emotionally muted and outwardly strong always, The boy felt he could identify these tendencies in himself and his contemporaries. Thanks to the humor of Cummings that made it more comfortable to think about these issues and how they affect people’s behavior, often without if you ask them directly.
As the special went on, the boy started realizing that Cummings was not only discussing love between two partners – she operated on the values of ‘loving yourself’ as well. This provided the audience with some recurrent motifs of helping the person to evolve and to learn loving one’s self, with all imperfections. It wasn’t moralistic or overly cheesy; it was about feelings, real feelings, and even some humor in them. The boy started pondering how many individuals, especially in his age, want to please others – their physique or social position, their beloved and so on – without pondering what brings them joy. With the quickness for which she is famous, Cummings introduced what would become one of her messages: a self-serving love is not an indulgent vice, but rather a basic necessity.
One of the most interesting episodes for the boy came when Cummings was talking about the concept of vulnerability and what is the reason behind people’s hesitance in being honest with them. She made a fun of how everyone, especially when it comes to relationships, is so concerned about being hurt that they build barriers between themselves and other people who matter to them. The boy saw how right this was not only regarding romantic relationships but also regards friendships and parental relationships. This is because the people understand vulnerability to be the center of all things evil and tends to shy away and miss perfect opportunities for relating with deeper things. This was one of those poignant thoughts couched in a joke and he carried it with him for a long time after watching the special.
Exhaustion did not keep the boy from indulging in the fact that he had got so much from Whitney Cummings: I Love You as the special ended. It was not just about getting a good laugh though there were quite a number of them. The focus was on how Cummings incorporated entertainment and wisdom in equal measure. These were thoughts that the boy had not really given much of his time with pondered over closely. The boy learnt that humour is not always about providing laughter; with it comes the lessons of one’s self and the surroundings.
Whitney Cummings: I Love You did not just leave the boy with the few quotes that he could have humorous lines to regale his friends with. It changed the way he saw relationships in terms of romantics and even against the background of the friendships that Cummings explored leaving quite paradoxically at its core the task of self-care amidst the afflictions and absurdities of life, somewhat humorous as it is. Cummings’s comedy was effective in this as the boy got entertained but wiser after every special.
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