Finding the Comedy
Over the course of this past semester I thought a lot about comedy in different terms: how it’s evolved, the opportunities it’s given to traditionally marginalized groups, how to create a specified platform in comedy that suits you, etc. but through my exploration I’ve thought a lot about how comedy actually improves people’s lives. This is something you’ll hear people say a lot when their first starting out comedy, that they want to make people laugh because they believe it will improve other’s lives.
May be this is a self-serving opinion, to be to so arrogant to assume that a few simple jokes you crack improve other people’s lives. But, at the very least they improve your own life. I firmly believe one of the most important skills to learn in life is learning to make light of a tragic situation you may have experienced. Making art, or comedy, out of your burdens is a strong way to cope with your own emotions. Comedy offers us a release out of our humdrum lives, an escape from our fears, anxieties and even displeasure with what can seem like the “everyday”.
Historically speaking comedy as a form of performance originated in Ancient Greek around 335 BCE, where performers would come on stage between dramatic pieces and perform crass and phallic skits in order to lift the audiences spirits before the second show. This is where we get the idea that comedy flows into tragedy and that the two are different sides of the same coin.
Understanding the balance between comedy and tragedy can improve your life in the simplest of terms. This is akin to the basic premise of optimism, searching for the best in terms of what may seem like a bleak situation. Comedy offers a way to search for the best — and make fun of it of course.
When I chose this topic over the course of the semester I was a little nervous, not sure I wanted to academically look into comedy for an entire semester. Seems to kind of negate the point of comedy, in general. However, I took away so much from the experience, and most importantly that if I could find the comedy in my life I began to be a lot happier on a consistent basis.
