tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post4069119403181903956..comments2023-05-30T04:25:37.367-04:00Comments on Sandpaper Suit | Matt Ruby's comedy blog: A white male guy's viewpoint on race and the industryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-938448068751972875.post-78207691289523524562010-05-21T11:58:53.872-04:002010-05-21T11:58:53.872-04:00Thanks for posting on a Friday! So few bloggers do...Thanks for posting on a Friday! So few bloggers do. My feet aren't wet enough with road gig stand-up experience to speak on club discrimination. I've honed my craft for the past five years in the NYC bubble and only traveled outside of it a handful of times. <br /><br />When it comes to acceptance in the NYC comedy scene as a black woman, I feel like the first two years I was booked on shows nobody had any idea who I was, so I was granted access based on adding diversity. Nobody talked to me after I bombed, so I was snubbed based on lack of talent. I was never invited to shows so the only reason I got spots was because I knocked on doors (and because I am made of irresistible goodness). <br /><br />Sadly, I was trying really hard to be like my white male peers. I purposely wore hooded sweatshirts and no makeup, spoke with my hands at my side, a monotone, never smiled, and talked about what I thought the people in the audience wanted to hear. I didn't want to come across as an emotional woman with emotions, for fear of being judged "too brazen, too loud, too showy," (as if those are bad things) and I rebelled against all advice to "black it up" after people heard and called for more frequent use of the line, "GIRRRL I WILL CUT YOU!" <br /><br />Trying to please other people and fit a mold stunted my growth with regard to stage presence. <br /><br />As for equity in payment, every paid stand-up gig I've ever gotten has offered me less than what my white husband of equal education and stand-up experience has been offered, in the negotiation stage. Same was true for our wages at our temp jobs...with the same agency!Abbi Crutchfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04984255030758291096noreply@blogger.com