The Rise of Comedy

Just a few years ago Oprah Winfrey said in a commercial that she “Loves bread” and for as long as I can remember I’ve felt the same way about —  comedy. There’s not a single genre or media outlet that I don’t follow, from late-night talk shows, to sketch comedy, to stand-up comedy specials and films, the list goes on, that’s right Oprah, “I love comedy”.  

Comedy to me is one of the greatest inventions of mankind and, if used correctly can become something greater that connects us all during difficult times, opens our eyes to new points of view, and exposes us to stories we might not have been receptive to had it come in another form. Great stand-up comedians and late-night hosts are today's modern day social scientists, who can provoke discussions of current issues that I feel perhaps many journalists can’t, challenging the status quo. In fact, I primarily tend to watch many of the late-night talk shows as a way to stay informed on current events while still feeling entertained.

Most of these programs have an online presence through their Twitter or YouTube channels to give the audience behind the scenes access to what goes on during the production along with a closer in depth commentary from its host on certain worldly topics, or they may even spark social or political change as is the case of Jimmy Kimmel Live or HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Hannah Gadsby, Nanette

The thing I find most interesting with great comedy is that no matter the genre or outlet it has the ability to entertain audiences with humor on one hand and educate and inform them with the other. Earlier this summer Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special Nanette transcended what stand-up comedy can be, covering a wide range of topics like sexism, homophobia and her personal encounters with assault.

It is that admiration of comedy that drove me three years ago to tackle my fears and begin writing and performing stand-up myself. I am no longer just a media consumer but, now a content creator, writing jokes for an online site Comedywire.com along with my personal Twitter account. I’ve produced video content of my stand-up performances and posted them on social media. I’ve even challenged myself to speak up and critique certain topics such as broadcast news and social media use in my stand-up act.

Ultimately, in the current political and pop culture landscape I feel that media is playing an evermore important role in shaping the way we think and how we feel about certain topics and, I feel that one of the most powerful tools we can use to shape social discourse is comedy. And, if it can’t do that then maybe it can just make us all laugh one more time before going to bed to forget all our daily troubles and the world.