Humor Essay
Jokes are good for more than a few giggles and laughs; they generate discussion and offer different viewpoints. Alain de Botton argued in his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, that the purpose of humor is “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” Humor allows people to freely voice their opinions with minimal judgment since it’s not taken seriously. Saturday Night Live and other comedic movies say things that normally people will shy away from, but in a society, such as the U.S. where freedom of speech is vital to the society, these things need to be said.
Saturday Night Live is infamous for its comedic view of politics and world issues. Some of the funniest and well-known skits are the ones that mock politicians. In a society, we put politicians on a pedestal and hold them to high standards since they represent the people. Honestly, they are as human as the rest of us and someone needs to point out their blunders. SNL does this on a weekly basis bringing out the irony of situations. Some of George Bush’s quotes, specifically, “They misunderestimated me,” make him appear as an idiot –yet he ran the U.S. for eight years. SNL capitalizes on these inane mistakes by displaying them to the world and putting them in amusing contexts. It allows people to chuckle at serious matters. In other countries with limited liberties, jokes about authority figures would be punished but in the U.S. the freedom of speech protects this mockery and humor. It is a good thing it is protected and respected because it generates dialogue and sets a tone of discussion where any idea can be presented and appreciated (since the absurd, blunt or humorous viewpoint is already out there, everyone is comfortable). Men elected to offices are expected to be trustworthy, honest men with integrity –yet numerous Congress men are involved in sex scandals. It is not hard to imagine how they could incorporate this into their skits. The extraordinary thing about this type of humor is that fact that it can be expressed in the U.S.. Other nations might try to suppress criticism of their governments and leaders but in the U.S. it is common. Humorists state their thoughts (and sometimes voting regrets) of the people and newly found expositions through their irony, puns, sexual innuendos and mocking. These things need to be said because people should be informed and this viewpoint ought to be expressed.
Anytime someone goes to the movies, they are bound to see social commentary and stereotypes. While stereotyping is wrong, it can serve a useful purpose (besides generating laughter) by motivating people to break stereotypes and defy social norms. The cinema’s aim, like many other art forms is to get a response from the audience, whether the response is giggles, anger or approval. Humorists have the ability to urge people to do something, like make a change. An example would be Will Ferrell in Kicking and Screaming, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro and Talladega Nights; he makes a mockery of several sports but it is necessary because it causes people to reevaluate how much influence and impact sports have on our culture. Maybe his character of an overly competitive, aggressive coach in Kicking and Screaming makes a parent realize the error of their ways in coaching youth sports. Maybe the scene in Talladega Nights where Ricky Bobby prays to “sweet baby Jesus in his Pampers diapers” gets people thinking about how much consumerism creeps into other aspects of our lives such as religion. This is an example of De Botton’s quote because of how it offers a fresh viewpoint of our society in a passive way what the consequences would be if this perspective was conveyed differently such as directly addressing people. It is doubtful that people will not go directly into denial if someone pointed out their flaws directly. When people leave from seeing a comedy at the movies, there is always something to talk about and maybe some self-reflections made. The point of humor is to entertain and arouse discussion about social norms.
Although humor can come in many forms, it is integral to our society. It allows people to freely state their opinions and encourages others to respond. The feedback and discussion it generates is what creates progress in our society.
Saturday Night Live is infamous for its comedic view of politics and world issues. Some of the funniest and well-known skits are the ones that mock politicians. In a society, we put politicians on a pedestal and hold them to high standards since they represent the people. Honestly, they are as human as the rest of us and someone needs to point out their blunders. SNL does this on a weekly basis bringing out the irony of situations. Some of George Bush’s quotes, specifically, “They misunderestimated me,” make him appear as an idiot –yet he ran the U.S. for eight years. SNL capitalizes on these inane mistakes by displaying them to the world and putting them in amusing contexts. It allows people to chuckle at serious matters. In other countries with limited liberties, jokes about authority figures would be punished but in the U.S. the freedom of speech protects this mockery and humor. It is a good thing it is protected and respected because it generates dialogue and sets a tone of discussion where any idea can be presented and appreciated (since the absurd, blunt or humorous viewpoint is already out there, everyone is comfortable). Men elected to offices are expected to be trustworthy, honest men with integrity –yet numerous Congress men are involved in sex scandals. It is not hard to imagine how they could incorporate this into their skits. The extraordinary thing about this type of humor is that fact that it can be expressed in the U.S.. Other nations might try to suppress criticism of their governments and leaders but in the U.S. it is common. Humorists state their thoughts (and sometimes voting regrets) of the people and newly found expositions through their irony, puns, sexual innuendos and mocking. These things need to be said because people should be informed and this viewpoint ought to be expressed.
Anytime someone goes to the movies, they are bound to see social commentary and stereotypes. While stereotyping is wrong, it can serve a useful purpose (besides generating laughter) by motivating people to break stereotypes and defy social norms. The cinema’s aim, like many other art forms is to get a response from the audience, whether the response is giggles, anger or approval. Humorists have the ability to urge people to do something, like make a change. An example would be Will Ferrell in Kicking and Screaming, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro and Talladega Nights; he makes a mockery of several sports but it is necessary because it causes people to reevaluate how much influence and impact sports have on our culture. Maybe his character of an overly competitive, aggressive coach in Kicking and Screaming makes a parent realize the error of their ways in coaching youth sports. Maybe the scene in Talladega Nights where Ricky Bobby prays to “sweet baby Jesus in his Pampers diapers” gets people thinking about how much consumerism creeps into other aspects of our lives such as religion. This is an example of De Botton’s quote because of how it offers a fresh viewpoint of our society in a passive way what the consequences would be if this perspective was conveyed differently such as directly addressing people. It is doubtful that people will not go directly into denial if someone pointed out their flaws directly. When people leave from seeing a comedy at the movies, there is always something to talk about and maybe some self-reflections made. The point of humor is to entertain and arouse discussion about social norms.
Although humor can come in many forms, it is integral to our society. It allows people to freely state their opinions and encourages others to respond. The feedback and discussion it generates is what creates progress in our society.