The inevitably entertaining Lewis Black came to Kirkland House yesterday to discuss his love of theater, his flirting with the poverty line, and his opinion on anything else. With a message that has to be Black’s definition of inspiring, he had this piece of advice for current students:
“If there was ever a better time for human beings to follow their passions it’s now because, economically, you’re f—ed”
To Black, it’s no longer about making money. College students who went to law and medical school simply for the money in those professions simply don’t exist anymore. This provides a nice opportunity: the freedom to do jobs that we actually enjoy.
After such an uplifting opening, the prominent Daily Show Correspondent answered questions, and ended with a discussion between him and old friend Ken Rogoff, a Harvard Economics professor. Amidst abounding humor were some more interesting and relevant talking points:
1. On Comedy, Media and the Public
There has been a growing trend to rely on Comedy Central at 11 for complete news analysis. Black admits that he understands the logic. Amidst all the absurdity of cable television, the actual satire comes off as surprisingly refreshing, and scarily realistic. But when asked what this meant for comedy in the role of political discourse, Black actually denied that comedians have any role in informing the public. Comedians, in his view, are for the sake of laughter. It will be interesting to see if this view persists as Stephen Colbert and John Stewart become more prominent.
2. Different Economies, Different Times
Black liked to emphasize that, in the American economy, “we don’t make things anymore, and we have yet to deal with what that means.” Yet, this may not be such a bad thing necessarily. Granted, the US would have far more jobs with an industrial base but as Black even said, “the economy is wide open now. They are looking for people to come out with ideas.” This idea-based economy is not inherently bad. A lot of our biggest industries (see: Facebook, Google, every other successful Internet startup) developed in this new economic climate. As we start to transition out of the recession, finding this balance between ideas and physical industry could provide for a strong rebound.
3. Economics for the Future
Black and Rogoff concluded their discussion by discussing Bush tax cuts and the biggest wealth inequality gap in a century. “I don’t see why there isn’t more upheaval about it,” commented Rogoff. Black continued that tone while discussing the Bush Tax cuts. To him, it’s ridiculous to not tax the extra wealthy. At the end of the day, they’re still wealthy. He had similar views on healthcare. “I think it’s insane that from the time I was born until now we’ve been discussing healthcare for everyone.”
As these discussions continue, there has been a strange shift in political discourse. Will Rogers, Black commented, discussed redistribution of wealth. That would be near-suicide in today’s toxic political climate. This shift will significantly affect the ways in which our economy develops, especially as we work to pull ourselves out of the recession.
In all, the general tone was one of, unsurprisingly, frustration. “I read the business section every day now,” commented Black towards the end. “It was the last thing I wanted to do…but my comedy comes from anger and frustration.” So to the business section he went. With all of the problems in current affairs, at least there’s a guarantee that Black will have solid material for a very long time.