Comedy Can Change Minds
I barely watch television these days, but last week, I watched three things. I watched Dave Chappelle’s new stand-up special, Bill Burr’s new stand-up special, and Chelsea Handler’s documentary about white privilege. Whether you agreed or disagreed, liked or didn’t like, all three were prime examples of something that I’ve believed for a long time, but only recently have truly begun a deeper fascination for, which is the importance of comedy as an art form, and as an agent of positive change.
First of all, comedy is art. That is a fact. It may not fit into the typical connotation of art, which lives in high end galleries and is tied to sophistication. Comedy often deals in the peepee and caca, so it’s understandable why a general consensus would conclude that it’s “lesser than”. However, if art is any form of expression that elicits an emotion or feeling from its audience, then there is perhaps no greater art form than comedy. It’s the pinnacle of free expression.
Why? Because it trims off all the fat. There’s no staring at a painting and contemplating what metaphor it’s trying to make. It’s not a song lyric which need be decoded and deciphered. It’s the only medium where a person can say what they want to say, and people are willing to hear it. Unlike a painter, musician, athlete, or any other form of performer, artist, or entertainer, a comedian can say exactly what they mean to say — the truth. At least, their truth. Comedians, in all shapes and forms, have the ability to influence and shape culture. And more importantly, in an era where people don’t want to be told anything, especially negative things, they are willing to listen to comedy. It does such a wonderful job of sanding down the sharp edges on harsh topics, making them consumable and, if done properly, memorable.
It’s my belief that we’re at the very forefront of comedy’s potential. The wave has only just begun to build momentum. Ad agencies and marketing agencies caught wind of its powers not too long ago, realizing that the most efficient way to reach people and deliver a message that will resonate with them, is by making them laugh. Gone are the days of boring PSAs or information-heavy advertisements. The majority of major brands now focus their efforts on establishing a hilarious social media presence and/or creating humorous pieces of content. If the final destination is to make people listen and remember, and in ideal cases, change habits, then the quickest route to get there is by making them laugh.
The way I see it, there are two main sub-categories of using comedy for positive change. The first is as a reason. The notion of comedy fundraisers or using comedy for a good cause is nothing new. Any initiative that involves having some laughs and yielding positive results is a win-win on any occasion, so I predict this continues to grow as the value of comedy becomes more clearly understood and tapped into.
The second sub-category, however, is less developed, and there’s much more to dive into. Rather than use comedy as an excuse to do good, comedy itself can BE the vessel for positive change. Comedy can be a Trojan horse, used to slip through the public’s carefully constructed walls, built to keep out anything remotely sad, scary, or otherwise unwanted. Whether it’s stand-up, movies, television shows, books, articles, magazines, video games, web videos, or even memes, each and every individual has the ability to shape public perception or raise awareness of an important issue. By attaching the message to a laugh, it’s able to slip right by all the normal protective barriers that typically exist. It’s an invisibility cloak. Through a comedic lens, we can tastefully examine difficult subjects like depression, climate change, politics, inequality, and every taboo item in between — all in a way that people won’t mind.
Comedy, by nature, should be a judgement-free zone. It’s meant to be a safe space, where typical societal constructs don’t exist. As a result, this means the freedom to express things you’d otherwise encounter some push-back on. It helps with trauma, it gives a sense of community, and most importantly, it makes tragedy digestible. Nobody likes talking about, thinking about, or hearing about tragedy. That’s understandable. Of course they don’t. However, for change to happen, then talking about it, thinking about it, and hearing about it is a necessary prerequisite to doing something about it.
Comedy is the ultimate tool for addressing a difficult subject. Whether you agree or disagree with what he had to say, I guarantee Dave Chappelle’s latest stand up special opened quite a few people’s eyes to LGBTQ issues that they’d otherwise never considered. I’m sure the Bill Burr special had a similar effect in regards to feminism and toxic masculinity. I’d like to believe Chelsea Handler opened a lot of people’s eyes to the subject of white privilege.
I saw a meme on Instagram this morning that said “the real reason you shouldn’t throw out plastic straws” and it showed an image of a sea turtle snorting lines of cocaine. While that surely runs the risk of alienating or insulting some, I’d like to think that it opened up people’s minds to the concept of pollution and got them interested in why plastic straws are ACTUALLY bad. The meme was clearly a joke, but the issue is very, very real. And if a person scrolls past more plastic/pollution-oriented memes on a daily basis, then that starts to shape their reality. They become aware and invested in an important issue, whether consciously or subconsciously.
That’s the value comedy has, and we’ve only just begun scratching the surface of its potential. Through various different mediums, and in any conceivable shape or form, humor can influence unlike anything else can. It delivers the harshest truth in the most consumable way. It can shape public perception, influence social consciousness, and be an invaluable tool for positive change.
