Wednesday, May 4, 2022

No products in the cart.

  • About
    • Contributors
    • Disclaimers
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Giving back
    • Mission Statement
    • Past Issues
    • Where to Find
    • Call us at 613-935-3763
  • Advertise with us!
COVID-19 Response Framework: STEP THREE OF REOPENING

Get the Seeker Delivered straight to your door, click here
  • Home
  • News
  • Leisure & Lifestyle
  • Columns
  • LTE
  • Events
  • Contributors
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
The Seeker Newsmagazine Cornwall

Agree to Disagree – Hidden Message

Julia Lucio by Julia Lucio
May 6, 2017
in Editorial
Reading Time: 2 mins read
27 1
17
SHARES
189
VIEWS

Last night, in Cornwall, I had a profound experience.

Last night, in Cornwall, I attended the Comedy Festival.

You might also like

OPINION: EOHA pamphlet… oh no pt.3

Agree to Disagree: Why I’ll be shopping in Quebec for now…

OPINION: EOHA pamphlet… oh no pt.2

I always enjoy my time at that festival.  Shawn Fowler always does such a great job with it.  I laughed my head off and it felt good.  As expected, all the acts were a barrel of laughs and the host, Derek Seguin, had us rolling on the floor, in tears, with his usual goofy self and (overly played?) French Canadian accent.

Then, came Dave Hemstad.

Dave, the last act of the evening, was nothing short of brilliant.  The three-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee and current regular on CBC’s “The Debaters” showed the public a side of comedy that I wasn’t familiar with.  Not only did he have everybody in stitches because of his jokes, dexterous facial expressions and pretend immaturity, he eventually had us all pause and seriously think.  See, he caught everybody by surprise when he skillfully hid a powerful message in his routine.  He used comedy as a vehicle to drive home a very serious point: gender equality, or rather, inequality.  And boy, was it ever effective!

Yes, I’ve seen stand up comics try to convey a political or social message in the past, but never done with this level of mastery.

He spoke about little girls and about the message they receive early on in life through shows, fairy tales and even clothing lines.  He pointed out how, on marketed merchandise, boys are always “king of something” and girls figuratively  kept in the kitchen. He told us to embrace our differences, but also shared how he wants his 2 year old daughter to become strong and powerful.  And he said all that serious stuff while cracking jokes and keeping it light, kind of like a mother hiding veggies in a muffin so her kids will get the nutrition they need.  It was both touching and weirdly empowering!  I was fooled.  I got the message.  And When I realized I did, I was mind blown.

Well played, Hemstad.  Well played.

The Cornwall Comedy Festival continues tonight in Williamstown at Jack’s Pub and at the NAV Centre in Cornwall, and tomorrow at the Martintown Community Centre.  Visit http://CornwallComedyFestival.ca for mor info.

 

 

 

Author

  • Julia Lucio

    Editorial Board
    Managing Editor
    Social Justice Issues

    View all posts

Next Post
Stephanie Gibson, of McDonad Duncan, adds a splash of colour to an art canvas being unveiled for public painting this Thursday as part of #momstheword.

#MOMSTHEWORD: Downtown Partners to Unveil Public Art Canvas

Place YOUR ad here now
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube TikTok

Don't miss anything!

Get notified of all our new news by ringing the bell at the bottom right corner!

The Seeker Newspaper is located at 327 Second Street E., Cornwall, ON K6H 1Y8 -- All rights reserved
The Seeker does not accept responsibility for errors, misprints or inaccuracies published within. The opinions and statements of our columnists are not to be presumed as the statements and opinions of The Seeker, and should not substitute professional or medical advice.
ISSN 2562-1750 (Print)

ISSN 2562-1769 (Online)
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Leisure & Lifestyle
  • Columns
  • LTE
  • Events
  • Contributors

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
X
X