Stereotypes: Funny Because They Are True by Katerina Vrana (Full Transcript)

Katerina Vrana at TEDxThessaloniki

Stand-up comedian Katerina Vrana on Stereotypes: Funny Because They Are True at TEDxThessaloniki conference.

Listen to the MP3 Audio here: Stereotypes – funny because they are true by Katerina Vrana at TEDxThessaloniki

TRANSCRIPT:

So hi, my name is Katerina Vrana. I am Greek, I live in the UK, I live in London. I am a stand-up comedian.

As far as the power to create goes, I am a stand-up comedian. I’ve got two brothers, one is 30, the other is 14. The 30-year old is a drummer and a photographer. In fact, he is the drummer of the band that’s going to be closing TEDThessaloniki this year, TEDx.

So our Greek parents are very proud of our professional choices. Like, “Will you ever make money?” No. The 14-year-old wants to be a lawyer. Here’s hoping! So yeah — oh, and my hair, my hair. My hair is like this because this is how it is, OK? No discussion about it. In Greece, this doesn’t stand out that much. It’s big, but it’s not that extraordinary. In the UK, it’s become a sightseeing thing. Like people stop me in the street, people touch it without asking me.

And then, there’s teachers that bring little children out of the classrooms and go, “Look, look at the lady who looks like a tree!” is very annoying. So I’ve been in the UK now for 10 years — oh, and also, I am a 100% Greek. I was born here, I was raised here, both my parents are Greek, my whole family lives here. I have no idea why I speak English like this. Absolutely none! It’s a fluke. The rest of my family doesn’t speak English like this, they speak like proper Greek people.