Lately, we have been fortunate enough to have what I believe are the generation’s best two comics, Nathan Fielder (Rehearsal, Season 2) and Tim Robinson (Friendship, full-length movie), released original content in May. To say we’re spoiled is an understatement. Additionally, both of these recent works have really helped us appreciate why they are great pieces of art.
Both comedians really toy with the idea of cringeworthy and/or awkward communication. In a society where in-person verbal and nonverbal communication continues to decline, both comedians effectively lean into this concept.
Fielder has focused more on addressing awkward communication moments and utilizing his “Fielder Method” to help learn about his subjects’ verbal and non-verbal tendencies. At the same time, Robinson expresses all the inner thoughts that we all have had from time to time, albeit in a humerously great exaggeration.
I am currently enrolled in a Global Leadership course where we are discussing different cultural communication frameworks. The communication framework that America and many Western nations currently exhibit is a “Linear-Active” culture — one in which we are focused on a specific timeframe and agenda in our communication with one another. Both comedians push that boundary, and inadvertently (or maybe intentionally in Fielder’s case) challenge the status quo in communication styles. Arguably, both push “Reactive” culture tendencies, where opinions are formed based on listening to others before forming strong opinions.
This is why it makes sense that I have been enjoying West Coast Swing. The whole dance is based on hearing the counts of the music, “listening” to your partner, and then reacting within the dance. It is a very potent form of non-verbal communication.
My good friend, Pastor Zac Yonko (MDiv, Ashland), noted the theological connections.
From a pastoral perspective, I think there’s a beautiful theological layer here. The gospel is ultimately a story of divine communication — God choosing to enter our awkward, broken, miscommunicating world through the Word made flesh. Jesus didn’t avoid cringe; He entered it. He touched lepers, asked hard questions, told disruptive parables, and wept in front of people. That’s the kind of non-linear, reactive, embodied presence of both comedians.
Satire, when done well, doesn’t just critique; it invites repentance and curiosity. And maybe, in a world of endless noise and scripted agendas, what we need most is the humility to listen — to the Spirit, to one another, even to absurdity — and to laugh our way back to being human again.
Although both Fielder and Robinson are using humor to exploit modern communication tendencies. Satire may very well be the most effective form of learning how to communicate in the 21st century.
Minds of Meaning 