So, talking about my cultural background has revealed more about people’s ignorance, but also I don’t know anyone else talking about this, and it’s been really cathartic for me to speak about these topics and grapple with some traumatic experiences. So many Americans, white Americans particularly, think all Middle Eastern countries are the same, kind of in the way that a lot of ignorant people think Latin American countries are the same or speak the same language. I was setting up that joke and I said, “Are there any native Turkish speakers here?” and then this girl in the audience goes, “Gobble gobble” and I was like, “You are canceled” and, “That was my first heckler.” Often his stories would be very confusing, because he’d be like, “Oh, you know, the mailman, he came and dropped off a package and I never saw her again.” I’d say, “Wait, who is she?” And then he’s like, “You know, the mailman.” And I was like, “What? Are you having an affair?”
There are no pronouns in Turkish, and this was a setup for talking about my dad growing up. I decided to do a set about my dad and Turkish stuff. How do your cultural background and personal experiences shape your comedic style and material? The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Inspired by her cultural roots and connection to Istanbul, Eler is currently working on her second book, a novel titled “A Tourist of Memories,” following the success of her first book, “The Selfie Generation.” The novel follows a young Turkish American screenwriter who seeks to understand her father’s departure from Turkey and embarks on a secret journey to meet someone she connects with online in Istanbul. I was like, ‘Whoa, if I could take that horrible memory and make it comedy, the possibilities are endless.’”Įler, 39, was raised in the Chicago suburbs with a secular Jewish mother and a Turkish father. “And it’s such a horrible memory, but then I made a joke about it. “We were there for my cousin’s wedding, and my aunt approached my mom and was like, ‘What did you do to make Alicia gay?’” Eler said. We were there for my cousin’s wedding, and my aunt approached my mom and was like, ‘What did you do to make Alicia gay?’ And it’s such a horrible memory, but then I made a joke about it. Comedy became her way to navigate difficult subjects with levity, including during a pivotal moment when a cousin inadvertently outed her to their entire Turkish family.
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