Laughter > Hate
Never read the comments. That's useful advice for YouTube and Facebook threads about almost anything now-a-days. However, that advice is not so useful when those comments come uninvited and directly to a person's social media account.
Earlier this week, a promo for a Laughter of Language comedy show featuring Dacey Tyson became the target of a vicious online attack. The promo was originally posted on r/denton before being spread around to different subs on Reddit. The promo includes Tyson's likeness with a caption of one of her jokes, "I like my men like I like my coffee. Ground up and kept in the freezer."
Only, the ad misspelled coffee.
The typo was an easy target to pick on and many comments were an attempt to one-up Tyson's joke. As they usually do, the thread devolved into nasty comments about her appearance, sexuality, and how women aren't funny comics. Throughout the thread on r/CringeAnarchy, users posted videos from Tyson's YouTube account (that were later taken down) and shared photos of her they found online along with extremely cruel commentary. It didn't stop there, though.
Before she realized this was going on, a group of Reddit users found her personal Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube accounts and delivered their dissent.
"I looked through some of the people that trolled me on Twitter, and it’s just tiresome. It’s just shit-talking to other people. It’s awful to read." says Tyson. This situation is an unfortunate turn for an event that is raising money to benefit the UNT Child Development Lab.
Tyson began practicing stand-up comedy last year. She went to an open mic night at the Whitehouse (now Killer Taco) hosted by Stu Hollowell and felt she was capable of doing stand-up herself. She spent a few weeks preparing and fine tuning a routine. Her material consists of awkward flirting stories that occur in real life and on the popular dating app, Tinder.
The tagline in the promo is part of a larger story that was inspired by an incident that happened at West Oak Coffee Bar. We won’t spoil the entire joke for you, but if you think the tagline is a lame joke, then we urge you to check her out live, tomorrow night at the UNT Syndicate at 8pm.
"If you're the person that posted that on Reddit, come see my set. I have a strong feeling that whoever posted that has never seen my set," Tyson says. "If you're going to have an opinion, at least have a fully informed one."
Tyson is at a stage in developing her hobby that other artists can relate to. When someone is learning their craft, they'll post something online because they're proud of what they have created. We've all been there. Well, all of us who have put ourselves out there, at least. "So, attacking someone for where they are in that stage just because you don't think it's the best ever.. it hurts," Tyson says.
This is a chance for the community to come together to support one of its own and rise above a negative situation. Let's get together and share a few laughs rather than spill out hate. Remember, don't feed the trolls!
Dacey Tyson and other local comedians associated with Language of Laughter will be performing at the Syndicate on the UNT Campus tonight - Friday, September 2 at 8:00 PM. Check the Facebook event for more info. Donations will be accepted to raise money for the UNT Child Development Lab.
Images courtesy of Dacey Tyson
Header image by Jason Lee