It’s pretty interesting to think about Eddie Izzard’s performance that we watched last week. Here he was, an English man dressed as a woman poking fun at the American national anthem. It’s the type of thing that would seemingly tick off many, many Americans, yet Izzard pulls the trick off without ever sounding cruel, or even nasty. I think this is because he only jabs at the superficial elements of the song, making sure never to cross the line of decency. He makes us realize how ridiculous it is, how ridiculous we look, while managing to never seem completely out of line. This takes a deft touch from the comedian, something that few can ever really pull off.

Another reason why Izzard gets away with it so easily is how he prefaces the joke by first making fun of his own national anthem. This tactic essentially makes him invincible to any complaint, because he is making fun of himself first. And this is the thing that all great comedians are able to do – make fun of themselves. Look at how Mel Brooks makes fun of Jewish people, how Dennis Leary jabs at Catholics, and how Chris Rock ridicules black people. Doing this first allows the comedian to then step outside his own sphere and into others. By making himself vulnerable he makes himself able to attack, without fear of repercussion. It is why Eddie Izzard can make fun of transvestites and not sound mean in doing so. When the comedian presents himself, “Hey, I’m just like you,” he permits himself to say pretty much whatever he likes. And in doing so, he arms himself with his most effective weapon – criticism of hypocrisy.