Why laughing while crying is so Korean

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Comedian Youngmi Mayer talks about how her Korean family uses humor as a tool for survival. She gets into the Korean comedic tradition and why the saddest stuff is what makes them laugh the hardest.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025?
0:04.9	We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year.
0:09.5	Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR.
0:14.4	Heads up, the segment contains some salty language.
0:22.5	Hey, everyone, you're listening to Code Switch,
0:25.3	the show about race and identity from NPR.
0:28.3	I'm B.A. Parker.
0:30.0	And today, I've got longtime friend,
0:33.2	an NPR producer, Skylar Swenson,
0:35.9	joining me on the mic.
0:37.2	Hey, Skyler. Hi, Parker on the mic. Hey, Skylar.
0:38.0	Hi, Parker.
0:39.1	All right.
0:39.7	So, Skyler, what brings you to Code Switch?
0:42.6	Okay, I want to start by playing a TikTok video.
0:48.0	It's a video where this comedian is impersonating, essentially, a white person in an Asian restaurant, if Asians
0:58.7	acted like white people in an Asian restaurant. And for context, because you can't see it,
1:02.7	she is biracial, half Korean, half white. Okay, simple enough. Okay, let me look. There's so many
1:10.5	white people in here. This is like legit.
1:13.3	Oh my God, the menu is only in English.
1:16.2	Legit?
1:17.3	Yes, can I get the pancakes?
	...

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