Aziz Ansari: the new 'voice of a generation?'

Aziz Ansari

AZIZ ANSARI might be blushing a little bit after being named "the voice of his generation" by Variety magazine. Apologies to Lena Dunham, the previous "voice of a generation."

To be clear, that's Variety's opinion, not the opinion of the Indian/American comedian and actor. 

With the success of his television series Master of None, he has certainly connected with the Asian/American audience with little inside jokes only AAPI would get and issues that we talk about among ourselves but are not well known outside of the AAPI community.

The primes example of the latter was the episode about his immigrant parents and the sacrifices they made to assure a better life for their children.

The entertainment magazine says that Ansari is part of geration that sees the importance of the internet, and the importance of streaming services over traditional TV.

"He talks the language of a generation who lives online," Netflix's Ted Sarandos wrote for Variety.

In the second season, a lot of the dialogue between him and other cast members were over their smart phones by using social media.

"He talks the language of a generation who lives online," Netflix's Ted Sarandos wrote for Variety.

“Master of None is almost nothing like the show that he pitched to us," writes Netflix's chief content officer. "It is better. He is better. 

"Confidence is not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the character traits of a comedian, but Aziz is confident in every aspect of his work, and at least on the surface, it would seem in life too. He knows his material, he knows his audience and he knows how to connect his material and his audience with a remarkable hit rate," wrote Sarandos.

"With his track record, there are no ideas from Aziz that I can dismiss without long consideration. Being right and being funny are sometimes in conflict, but not for Aziz. He is right about when to go for the laugh and when to go for heartstrings and does both like a 'master.'”

"Voice of a generation" is a heavy crown to wear, but in one other way, Variety's proclamation may be  about the changing demographics of our country. Ansari's views and words as a person of color reflects what is slowly happening in the U.S., to the consternation of those who would prefer the old status quo.

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