Straight-faced comedian contorts students' minds
By CHHUN SUN
Known for his dry sense of humor, comedian Mo Rocca asked his audience
to not believe everything he says before he presented a clip of his appearance
on commentator Bill O’Reilly’s television show.
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Comedian Mo Rocca brought his political views to Fresno State on
Tuesday. Photo by Joseph Hollak |
The clip showed Rocca defending that Barbie dolls dressed in lingerie
“was a safe way for little girls to channel those kinds of vices,”
he said. As each minute passed, the clip made the near-capacity crowd
at the Satellite Student Union on Tuesday laugh in delight.
As part of the University Lecture Series, Rocca gave a light-hearted and
comedic view of politics and pop culture. With the aid of PowerPoint and
two video clips, the comedian best known for his four-year tenure at “The
Daily Show with Jon Stewart” had the crowd laughing with subtle
jokes and quips on political figures.
“Kerry lacked charisma,” Rocca said, showing photos of Senator
Kerry dressed in hunting gear and playing a violin. “He just kind
of stumbled his way through the presidential campaign.”
He continued with more photos of President Bush, Senator John Edwards,
former secretary of state Madeline Albright and North Korean dictator
Kim Jong Il together, which he called “a bad wedding photo.”
But his knowledge of politics and pop culture wasn’t the only thing
that generated laughter. His opening segment about facts on Fresno and
its history received a round of applause.
“The first church built in Fresno was in 1876,” he said, going
on a diatribe of information.
But a serious side to Rocca emerged when an audience member asked his
thoughts on the role comedians play when it comes to politics.
“Comedians have a great way to point out hypocrisy and despair in
politics,” he said.
But Rocca’s subtle humor still was the main attraction, especially
during the question-and-answer portion of his lecture.
An audience member asked for his thoughts on rapper P. Diddy and his Vote
or Die campaign.
“I want to form my own voting campaign called Rocca Vote, so I can
make sure the celebrities are registered,” Rocca said, referring
to such celebrities as hotel heiress Paris Hilton and rapper 50 Cent,
who both were reported as not registered to vote.
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