While it’s true that comedy is often built on the back of crossing societal norms and humorously presenting these situations, it isn’t always necessary to spout profanity as part of a comedy routine. Some of the best comedy in the world is based on absurdity, and the absurd need not be bawdy. Clean Comedy Day celebrates this more family-friendly form of comedy by challenging us to keep our humor clean for a day and enjoy it all the same.
History of Clean Comedy Day
Clean Comedy Day was organized by people who wanted to have a comedy show that the whole family could enjoy. In a world with comedy that is not intended for the consumption of children or those who prefer a more wholesome laugh, it’s important to remember that getting a laugh doesn’t require dropping an F-Bomb. In celebration of Clean Comedy Day, there are hundreds of locations throughout the world that hold clean comedy competitions, challenging comedians to step outside their normal repertoire and bring a good wholesome laugh to their constituents.
Comedy itself has a long and storied history, with instances of comic performances being traced back as far as 425 BCE in Greece. The first known professional comedian, if you count a comedian as someone who uses humor to entertain, is Aristophanes, the Greek playwright who wrote more than 40 comedies in his day, 11 of which we still have. From that point forward there has been a long and respectable history of people entertaining through comedy, and in many of these instances, it was the clean comedy that was the order of the day. After all, you can’t expect to entertain a group of good church going folk with jokes more suited for the locker room.
How to celebrate Clean Comedy Day
The best way to celebrate Clean Comedy Day is to find a local performance and supporting those who have taken up the challenge of clean comedy. If you’re truly daring, you can try getting on stage and belting out a joke or three yourself, even more, respectable if you can manage to come up with your material and delivering it to the crowd’s delight. No matter what you do on Clean Comedy Day, try to keep your humor clean and try to encourage your friends and workmates to tell you their best clean joke.
