Trevor Noah and The Power of Language

Oftentimes, it is a person's life circumstances that shape them into the creative individuals they are today. Trevor Noah, best known as the host of The Daily Show, is someone who demonstrates how your environment shapes you. Watching his work as a host on a liberal comedy show, you may find yourself wondering why a South African man hosts a show so deeply rooted in American politics. Furthermore, Noah has an ability and a tendency to not only mimic others’ languages and accents incredibly well, but it is also evident that he always tries to envision others’ perspectives as well. These tendencies and skills can be explained through reading his memoir, Born A Crime, where he details his life growing up in South Africa under the apartheid.

The title of “born a crime” is to be taken literally; “Where most children are proof of their parents’ love, I was the proof of their criminality,” Noah explains. He was born a mixed child to a white father and a black mother, in a time in South Africa’s history where relations between a white person and a black person was an act worthy of years in prison. Consequently, Noah grew up away from his father, and constantly hiding from authorities because they would take mixed children away from their parents. The broader consequence, and the one which I think impacted his uniqueness the most, was the fact that grew up an outsider. Neither black nor white, he did not blend in with either group, and he describes how he learned to understand others’ perspectives due to this.

Furthermore, he learned to speak a multitude of languages in order to both blend in with those around him and thrive in every situation. He speaks seven languages, including English, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Tsonga, Afrikaans, and German, and mostly without any sort of accent; he compares his abilities to those of  “a chameleon.” It is not Noah’s abilities that make him unique; rather, it is his realization of how deeply his accents can impact perceptions:

“Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it. A shared language says “We’re the same.” A language barrier says “We’re different.” … Racism teaches us that we are different because of the color of our skin. But because racism is stupid, it’s easily tricked. If you’re racist and you meet someone who doesn’t look like you, the fact that he can’t speak like you reinforces your racist preconceptions: He’s different, less intelligent. A brilliant scientist can come over the border from Mexico to live in America, but if he speaks in broken English, people say, “Eh, I don’t trust this guy.” “But he’s a scientist.” “In Mexican science, maybe. I don’t trust him.” However, if the person who doesn’t look like you speaks like you, your brain short-circuits because your racism program has none of those instructions in the code.”     

This concept – that language is yet another barrier people face with racism, but also a way people can possibly break, or at least challenge, the barrier – was extremely creative to me. People do not often discuss this viewpoint, and it is one that serves to add an additional facet to the concept of racism. Moreover, the idea that speaking to another in his or her native tongue breaks barriers and fosters understanding is also discussed in Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up, albeit on an entirely different topic. Jonah Lehrer explains that solutions to problems are “rendered invisible by our small-minded brain. It is not until we talk to a colleague or translate our idea into an analogy” that we succeed in our endeavors. These both show the power of language as a tool for universality and connections across both disciplines and cultures. Trevor Noah is able to transcend cultures in his memoir, his stand-up shows, and in The Daily Show; Hence, Noah himself is an embodiment of this sentiment, which is evident in his incredible storytelling abilities.

Trevor Noah is a unique individual, with a perspective that brings unique discoveries and attributes. His success can be seen as inextricably tied with his individuality. Born A Crime was on The New York Times’ Bestseller List for 13 weeks straight, and Noah is seen as someone in comedy who provides incredibly unique and nuanced analyses of situations and individuals. His explanation of the idea that language is both a barrier and a means to break barriers is truly creative and reshaped my own ideas on expression though language. Critics claim that “Noah’s brand of intelligent outside comedy is winning over audiences in America.” In other words, Noah is a "little c" creative, one that is a creative within his own profession, forming his own unique brand of comedy.  

References:

Lehrer, Jonah. “Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up.” Wired, Conde Nast, 5 Oct. 2018, https://www.wired.com/2009/12/fail-accept-defeat/.


Lister, Paul. “Trevor Noah's Memoir 'Born a Crime' Is an Insightful Read about Apartheid and Identity.” Medium, Medium, 18 Mar. 2017, https://medium.com/@paul.a.lister1/trevor-noahs-memoir-born-a-crime-is-an-insightful-read-about-apartheid-and-identity-4acf072f93ab.


Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.


Somers, Jeffrey. “5 Surprising Things You'll Learn from Trevor Noah's ‘Born a Crime.’” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 6 Aug. 2018, https://www.thoughtco.com/trevor-noah-born-a-crime-4132424.


“Trevor Noah Says He Grew Up 'In The Shadow Of A Giant' (His Mom).” NPR, NPR, 22 Nov. 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/11/22/503009220/trevor-noah-looks-back-on-childhood-in-the-shadow-of-a-giant-his-mom.