Elizabeth Pulanco/Winonan
Winona State University’s UPAC brought in comedian Kevin Barnett to ring in the new semester.
Barnett was able to add humor to several trending topics in current culture. Barnett commented on Minnesota’s unpleasant weather, which had also postponed his performance.
Due to the recent “Polar Vortex” weather phenomenon, Barnett’s flight was delayed. Fortunately, members of UPAC were able to keep the waiting audience members entertained by dance contests or little talent competitions.
Freshman Noreen Jay enjoyed the diversion.
“It was nice that we were able to have a little fun while waiting for the show to start,” Jay said.
Once Barnett arrived on the stage, the show started rolling.
Barnett’s humor included several commentaries on race issues, taken in a humorous light.
One of the stand-out jokes of the night was how he stated that in 2014, many of the racist views that were pervasive in the past would be seen as obscure now.
He also poked fun at himself by discussing the fact that as an African American man, there is a lack of Halloween costume choices.
Barnett also joked around about his dislike of children, saying that he would rather buy a new shirt and have a nice steak dinner than have to deal with the cost of having a child.
Another source of material for Barnett was his life in New York. He has been able to come up with funny jokes about the people he experiences while living there.
Freshman Kari Middendorf particularly enjoyed his cultural commentary.
“He had some really funny things to say about hipsters,” Middendorf said.
Barnett said New York has recently been infested with hipsters and joked about a possible artisan mayonnaise store being set up by them.
Irreverent prodding at racial and social stereotypes aside, one thing that could have been seen as controversial about Barnett’s material was that he jokingly endorsed drug use.
He made comments on the drug use of friends and said he was better at talking to women with a little “liquid courage.”
Barnett also used explicit language that some students found offensive. Molly O’Keefe was one of those students.
“Most comedy shows are a little racy,” O’Keefe said, “but some of his jokes seemed to cross a line.”
True to the form of a true comic, Barnett used his gift of storytelling to help him and his audience navigate the rest of the world.
By the end of the night, Barnett had found a way to use comedy to tell great stories while at the same time poking fun at the political correctness of society.
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