Comedy
#1 At the end of this essay, de Botton favorably compares comics to other artists. What does he see as the role or purpose of art-particularly comedy-in a society (Botton,397)?To answer that question I have to use a long quote. "Comics, no less than other artists, hence fit rewardingly into Matthew Arnold's definition of art as a discipline offering criticism of life. Their work strives to correct both the injustices of power and the excess of out envy of those positioned above us in the social hierarchy. Like tragedians, they are motivated by some of the most regrettable aspects of the human condition. The underlying, unconscious aim of comics may be to bring about, through the adroit use of humor, a world in which there will be a few less things for us to laugh about" (Botton,396).
I think what he is saying is that using comedy; you can get away with saying more controversial things. Past issues that have arisen over the years capitalize on being funny but having a particular thing they want to point out. Maybe it is a character flaw in someone important or an important policy being overlooked by the government. Just as we talked about in class, using comedy can put a spotlight on touchy subjects that would otherwise not be mentioned for the fear of offending someone. I think that humor is a good thing most of the time. If you were to get into trouble you could use the excuse that it is all in good fun, I was just kidding, trying to joke etc... That takes the heat off what you really meant to say.
What it really comes down to is the fact that free speech is important. Being able to use comedic relief to express what you need to is ingrained in entertainment across America.
posted by -*K*- @ 12:34 PM
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