By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

I’ve been a professional comedian for the past twenty-two years, and one thing I take pride in, is being topical and relevant.

I took advantage of the time off during the COViD pandemic, to write new material, for both local and international audiences.

Jokers Wild will be reopening shortly so I want to be on point, especially after such a long layoff, there’s no excuse for not having new material.

So as I continued to watch the George Floyd saga unfold, I witnessed a myriad of emotions on display, from persons of different, races, creeds, denominations and social standing.

There were actions and reactions, arguments and counter arguments, narratives and false narratives, protestors and rioters, bunker visits, lies and mud slinging, and that was just the White House.

One thing I noticed while surfing through the channels, the fallout from the George Floyd protest, coupled with the popularity of Black Lives Matter, could put the southern United States into a deep depression, and possibly on the verge of collapsing completely, never to rise again.

Despite the stereotypes, I’ve had some great runs, on comedy tours throughout the southern United States, having made some good friends in the process. That includes some real live “red necks”, who I happen to be very concerned about, during these tumultuous times in America.

Especially with a series of recent events that has “red neck” America ready to implode, let’s have a closer look:

1 The Looney Tunes Disarmament

Due to the recent fallout from the George Floyd incident, Loony Tunes has announced that the ‘Yosemite Sam’ character will no longer carry his signature pistols.

NRA (National Rifle Association) members are said to be distraught.

2 ‘Wrasslin’ Ain’t Real

A hot second behind NASCAR on the country bumpkin sports totem pole is pro wrestling, in any way shape or form.

Two of the most popular figures in pro wrestling, who are worshipped by the “red neck” nation, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the “Viper” Randy Orton, sent shock waves through the south, when they both endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement.

Twitter almost crashed, and other social media platforms were a buzz, with “country cousin” conspiracy theories.

My favourite one being that world renowned hacker, ANONYMOUS hacked the two stars accounts, posting the endorsement of BLM just to inflict cruel and unusual mental torture on “red necks” across the southern United States.

3 COPS/LIVE PD Cancelled

This was due to the obvious high racial tension in America, and the outpouring of support for George Floyd, along with the message associated with his death.

In an unexpected, but totally understandable move, the popular reality based police shows, COPS (first aired 1989) and Live PD were cancelled.

This was yet another blow to Southern Hospitality, COPS was often viewed in trailer parks across America, to identify missing family members and friends who had dropped off of the radar or out of society for one reason or another.

4 NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag:

Then came the bombshell, NASCAR said on Wednesday that it would ban the Confederate Flag from its events and properties, becoming the latest organisation to reconsider the emblem’s place amid a national reckoning over racism and white supremacy after the death of George Floyd.

NASCAR made the announcement two days after Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr, who became the first black driver in 50 years to win one of its top three national touring series, called out NASCAR to ban the flags outright.

“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place here for them,” Bubba told CNN’s Don Lemon.

After hearing Wallace’s comments NASCAR responded with an official statement -

“The presence of the Confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.”

“Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”

This decision affects me indirectly also, I had a great joke about NASCAR standing for :

Non

Athletic

Sport

Created

Around

Rednecks

With all these new rules and sanctions, NASCAR could lose its yokel appeal, and see fans exit en mass, like Israelites out of Egypt, leaving me with no more jokes about NASCAR!

I’m glad I got my mind off the events of the world, it gave me a chance to reflect and reminisce on good times from days gone by, and the one common denominator that brings us all together, laughter!!

Yes, a good laugh unites people, I see it happen every night at Jokers Wild, comedy does bring us together, whoever or whatever we may be, we are all connected by the laughs.

And if we can laugh together, we can live together.

Laugh now, cry later!