Comedian W. Kamau Bell Discusses Political Division

Change is inevitable. It is one of life's constants. This is true across the broad, sweeping scope of geologic time, in which even something so seemingly immutable as the planet we share undergoes evolutions over millennia, but also in the sense of human time: civilizations rise and fall, borders shift, societies transform. What seems impossible one day can become a matter of fact the next, just as what feels familiar and accepted can suddenly disappear into the ceaseless churn of history.

However, this feeling of change — which inspires hope and fear in equal measure — is perhaps experienced most acutely in a federal election year. "2024 is an election year," said stand-up comedian and TV host W. Kamau Bell. "Right now, I feel like everybody's in this position where things could go up or down."

As the second speaker in Bucknell's 2024–25 Forum series, which is focused on the theme "World in Transition," Bell hosted an intimate gathering with students and later joined President John Bravman on the evening of Oct. 22 on the Weis Center for the Performing Arts stage for a conversation that explored everything from the changing media landscape, the role of comedy in politics and how to respond to an increasingly polarized political landscape.

W. Kamau Bell attends an intimate discussion with Bucknell students. Photo by James T. Giffen, Marketing & Communications

The host and executive producer of the five-time Emmy Award-winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, and the author of The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6'4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian, Bell has built a career on using humor to explore the conflicts that reside at the intersection of identity and culture.

"I think humor is just an evolutionary device that we use to get through tough times," said Bell, recounting how his background in comedy melded with political commentary during President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Humor, he shared, provided not only a framework to process and understand his experience as a Black man in America but a means to change the world for the better.

As the host of United Shades of America, he found that his media platform allowed him to engage with a diverse set of Americans, many of whom shared a vast range of political opinions and backgrounds. "One thing that United Shades of America did is that I had to sit across from people who sometimes said things that were hateful against people who look like me," said Bell. It was challenging work, but it taught him the importance of listening.

Along with comedy, Bell shared that two of the most important tools for responding to change are anger and shame. "First of all, anger is a fuel," said Bell, acknowledging that getting mad about something is a useful indicator that something matters. However, when it comes to having conversations across the political divide, anger isn't necessarily conducive to having fruitful exchanges of ideas. When President Bravman asked how we can navigate the discomfort of shifting norms and ideas, Bell explained that shame is an ideal personal barometer for transforming the unfamiliar into opportunities for personal growth.

"We have underutilized shame as a motivator. People feel shame when they get something wrong," said Bell, explaining how experiences with his daughters have inspired him to reassess his relationship with changing language and different identities. "I'm sure at some point there will be another word that I will have to learn for my daughters now. So you just have to, I think, be prepared for that. It's not just your phone that's getting updated. It's also culture."

When asked about the role of media in shaping political polarization, Bell shared that the democratization of media has produced both negative and positive effects. On the one hand, the increased number of news sources gives platforms to previously silenced voices. On the other hand, declining standards across news platforms have created alternative realities, making it more difficult for people to engage in meaningful conversation.

However, despite an ever-evolving media landscape, Bell said that, in some ways, the central issue at the heart of political polarization stems from what remains unchanged. "On some level, we're still dealing with the disconnect between what America told us all that it was and what America actually is," he said. "So I think we're still in the same discussion. There's just more of it now."

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The Bucknell Forum speaker series will continue with actor and activist George Takei on Jan. 28, 2025.