lessons in giving advice where you're not wanted

My mother has always had a strong sense of justice and disdain for incompetent or morally ambiguous authority figures, and she bestowed these on me to the point where I was an extremely argumentative 5-year-old with a precociously high level of self-righteousness. Recently, my mom told me of two experiences where her desire to help people/correct wrongs compelled her to speak up. In both instances, she felt that she observed something that went against what she believed to be morally and ethically correct and she said something.

We are told by the MTA/NYC/Bloomberg: "If you see something, say something." I know they're not talking about little trifling annoyances, but still, no matter what, more often than not, nobody says anything. When you see something wrong, from the mundane (someone cutting a line for the ATM) to the more serious (a mother hitting her kids on the sidewalk), most people's sense of societal decency and desire to keep the peace keeps them from expressing their feelings. Or maybe they were just taught differently-- that no matter what your parents taught you, we live in a free country and it's better to let some stupid people break the rules you were taught than to cause a big commotion. Or maybe they're just afraid of getting hit/yelled at/murdered by the crazy people doing stuff they disagree with. They might go home and blog about it or mumble to themselves, but rarely will they speak up. Even if there's a strong chance you're going to be helping some people (e.g. an old lady gets on the bus and a group of kids are taking up 12 seats in the front with their backpacks), most of the time, we still don't say anything. The problem for me is that my mom and I both always believe we're right, when sometimes wrong/right isn't so black and white. Who are we to be the societal justice and morality crusaders of New York City?

For example, and this is the dumbest example ever, now that I'm working in Times Square, I'm accosted by those people who want me to go to comedy shows all the time. And when I see tourists being tricked into them, I want to go up to the tourists and say, "Don't listen to these people. This is the worst comedy New York City has to offer. Come with me. I will take you to a land of amazingly talented young people who will do comedy for you FOR FREE and you can drink CHEAP BEER, fewer than two beers if you want, and you won't be teased by 50-year-old Staten Island MCs who make fun of your haircut and accent." And then I would lead them away like the Pied Piper of NY comedy that I believe myself to be. But instead, i just let them go to the crappy comedy shows. Not because I am scared of getting accosted or compelled by my desire for everyone to live their lives, but rather because I am just trying to get to work and it is hard enough to carry 3 bags and my iced coffee and get through the crowd with a book in my hand, so I can read while walking. And also, they probably wouldn't be very good audience members anyway. I mean, look at their haircuts and accents.

"Here’s to reveling in uncomfortableness until it becomes a tool to expose inanity. Here’s to forcing visceral meaning into the monotony of the everyday. Here’s to the painful disruption of complacency. Here’s to awkward endings."
-Matthew Wollin, The Awl

Comedy is a community. Other comics are your resource. Comics who are on your level -- that's important. A lot of comics are restless -- they want to network with the pros who they perceive as 'one level up' from them. Those guys can't help you much. It's your peers that will help you. Forget the dog-eat-dog stuff; like it's just you and your jokes against the world. That used to work, but not anymore. Make friends with people who make you laugh, produce shows together, build an audience together. Don't worry about trying to climb your way up the comedy scene, just hold hands with your friends and you'll all rise up like a balloon, laughing along the way.

-Tom Shillue, on what advice he'd give to aspiring comedians
http://www.thecomicscomic.com/2011/04/meet-me-in-new-york-tom-shillue.html