Humor

We have been talking in class quite a bit recently about the role of humorists in society. One of the points I stated today is that humorists rein in the extremists in our society by satirizing and parodying their position. I think one of the perfect places to observe this on Youtube.

The parody is an art form that focuses on where on the continuum of ridiculousness you place your parody. If the parody is too over-the-top it becomes heavy handed and overwhelming, yet if it is not ridiculous enough the joke is not conveyed and some people might question if that is your actual viewpoint.

I think an absolutely wonderful channel to show how satirizing is used effectively is "Key & Peele"'s channel. They span a wide array of topics, some sensitive like racism, slavery, and drugs, and some more calm like football and teachers. They show the ability of humorists to point out touchy subjects to our society and show the ridiculousness of them. Yet they actual create some serious attention to some of the more troubling personal and societal issues we share.

Another reason I love "Key & Peele" as an example is because they show how humorists who seem to have polar ideas due to their parodies can still be relatively unbiased. If you examine one individual video it will seem like they have a strong viewpoint in one direction, until you realize they make fun of that same viewpoint, even in the same video.

Collegehumor did a great political video parodying the problems with both sides agendas and the fears that partisan voters have. They attacked both the Democratic and Republican sides with equal fervor. Their goal is not to push a serious political position, but to expose the flaws in our society.

Some people might not appreciate having flaws pointed out to them, and that's why we get offended when humorists seem to attack our viewpoint. I try to remind myself that it is not because of people being against my viewpoint but just pointing out the flaws in an effort to improve.

I have to deal with a lot of criticism and critique in the performing arts, especially since the subjective nature makes it nearly impossible for all three judges to love your performance. I have had to learn that criticism, even blunt criticism, is not an attempt to be mean, but an encouragement to improve. That is why I personally feel like humorists are vital, and how Youtube exemplifies that.