Norms, Nonsense, and the Art of Sarcasm | Prapti Elizabeth | TEDxTKMCE

Background and Formative Years with Satire

• The individual creates content on Instagram, primarily using satire and sarcasm, and has a background in writing, having worked at a publishing house and India Today. (10s)
• Satire played a significant role in their formative years, as it was a common way for their parents to communicate with them, especially when they were irritated, which was often due to the individual's poor academic performance. (1m20s)
• The individual believes that satire and sarcasm do not fully capture the emotions that "chamaya" (a Malayalam term) can evoke, describing it as a volcano that burns everything in its path. (2m15s)
• As a result of being exposed to satire and sarcasm from a young age, the individual is not easily bothered by criticism or negative comments, likening it to a bullet that only grazes the skin. (2m45s)
• The individual thinks that many Malayalis have a similar experience with sarcasm, which has contributed to the success of comedy in Malayali cinema. (3m19s)

Personal Experiences with Sarcasm

• On a personal level, the individual's use of sarcasm can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, with people unsure whether they are being serious or joking, and this has led to them being perceived as shy when meeting new people. (3m37s)
• The individual uses self-preservation to avoid antagonizing men in the media industry, instead expressing themselves through their work behind the camera. (3m59s)
• The individual's experience with satire and sarcasm has helped them understand where hatred is coming from and how to respond to it, giving them a sense of power and control. (4m20s)

Content Creation and Creative Process

• The individual views their content as an ongoing "tapestry" of stories, with each new creation adding to the larger narrative. (5m8s)
• The concept of sarcasm is deeply ingrained, almost genetically, and can be used to make a point, but it's not always used in the outside world, only with family (6m9s).
• As a creator, thoughts and experiences are accessible to the public, and it's challenging to keep personal thoughts and beliefs separate from work, especially in the current times (6m34s).

Observational Comedy and Personal Boundaries

• The genre of observational comedy involves observing things happening around and taking jokes out of them, which gives the audience access to the inner world of thoughts (7m32s).
• There's a palpable tiredness in sharing thoughts and experiences, feeling like giving too much access to personal life, despite knowing that not the entire life is on social media (8m1s).
• The political aspect of creating content can be confusing, blurring the lines between online and offline worlds (8m37s).

The "Maladi" Genre and Political Correctness

• Observation is a skill set, and as an observational comedian, it's not possible to only observe one person, like a mother (8m54s).
• Starting with the genre of "maladi" (mother) was relatable and easy, but later raised questions about being politically correct and respectful of the mother's lived experience (9m18s).
• The concept of being "politically correct" is not considered a thing, but rather being a decent human being, and making jokes about a mother's experience can be seen as taking on an accent and making fun of it (10m0s).
• The thought of whether making jokes about a mother's experience is right or not came later, and it's a joke that's easy to make, but may not be respectful (10m38s).
• The process of creating content involves understanding what is acceptable and what is not, especially when it comes to making fun of certain scenarios or people, such as one's mother, and her accent or way of talking (11m16s).
• Creativity is a spectrum, and there are many things that can be observed and explored beyond just one aspect, such as a person's accent or way of talking (12m2s).

Content Ownership, Criticism, and Community

• Taking ownership of one's work is crucial, especially when creating content that may be perceived as dissing one's own people or culture (13m40s).
• Content creation can be a place where one can express their creativity, but it also comes with the risk of backlash and criticism (14m3s).
• Learning from criticism and using it as an opportunity to grow and discover new ways of creating content is essential (14m13s).
• Engaging with people who relate to one's content and finding a community that appreciates one's work is a valuable aspect of being a creator (14m42s).

Learning from Others and Online Trends

• As a creator, one can observe how others think and work, especially when it comes to problem-solving and critical thinking (15m6s).
• Understanding how others think and work can help creators develop their own thought process and approach to problem-solving (16m1s).
• Working on the internet and creating content since 2019 has provided insight into how trends work and how people interact with content online (16m29s).

Societal Observations and Passivity

• The internet has made it possible for people to be aware of global events, making it shocking to see individuals ignoring or looking away from important issues (16m38s).
• There are two types of people: those who are ignorant and those who choose to look away, and it's essential to be the former, as not caring is easy (16m59s).
• Passivity is a problem, as it involves looking away from issues, and another issue is the tendency to compare unrelated problems, making discussions useless (17m43s).
• When someone shares a personal problem, responding with an unrelated, more significant issue, such as the Amazon fires, is an unhelpful exercise (18m6s).
• Both passivity and comparing unrelated problems promote each other and are unhelpful (18m18s).

The Nature of Creativity and Risk-Taking

• Creativity requires taking risks and making mistakes, and simply following a formula, such as 1 + 1, is not creative (18m55s).
• If creativity only involves using a single formula, it's pointless, and new inventions and ideas won't happen (19m5s).
• The speaker believes that creativity should involve trying new things and making mistakes, rather than just following a proven formula (19m14s).
• The speaker will not accept a boring, repetitive approach to creativity, and instead, wants to see new patterns and ideas (19m36s).
• The speaker finds it confusing to be involved in creative pursuits when there are so many unhelpful approaches to creativity (20m10s).

Taking a Stand and Individual Responsibility

• The speaker believes that simply being part of a group or family that supports a particular cause is not enough, and individuals should take a stand (20m22s).
• The speaker uses the example of the 11 Nazis who remained silent during a discussion, highlighting the importance of taking a stand (20m40s).
• The speaker believes that there is no right side of history, and individuals should strive to do the bare minimum of human behavior, which is to take a stand (20m51s).
• The speaker recommends taking risks and trying new things, rather than just following a proven formula, and encourages others to do the same (21m28s).