Humor
While watching the NBC show Saturday Night Live over the weekend, I tried to force myself to find some value of American society conveyed through one of the skits. I wanted something obvious, like capitalism, equality, freedom, or maybe education. But as it went on, and as the actors & actresses poked fun at various aspects of our society, I came to realize that we value humor. I took an hour or two out of the day to watch this, along with everyone else in the country who watched it. The value of humor is evident on the North Shore and in American society as a whole.
People today, especially those in the audience at SNL for example, may have certain feelings associated with what’s going on in political news these days. So when Beck Bennett (acting as Mike Pence) elaborated that the president is “meeting with an alligator breeder about filling in a moat at the border”, or when Michael Che explained that “Trump keeps sayin’ that there was ‘no quid pro quo’, which can only mean there was mad quid pro quo”, people laughed. In this way, it is enjoyable for us as viewers to see a professional variety show lightening up the dark political situation with comedy. Jokes like these, in some sense, help people blow off psychological steam. A lighthearted political skit contrasted against the seriousness of real-world politics is amusing for us. Mark Twain once said, "Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place."
When we are bored or sad, we often look to something entertaining. This could be watching a favorite TV show or hanging out with a friend. Both of these tend to bring laughter, boosting our moods, and demonstrating the importance of humor in our world.
Now I pose the question, is there too much humor in our society? Is there too little? There are situations in which humor is appropriate and inappropriate, but what are they?
Now I pose the question, is there too much humor in our society? Is there too little? There are situations in which humor is appropriate and inappropriate, but what are they?
Hello, Jack! My name is Ms. Blair and I have been observing your classroom for the past few weeks. I will also be student teaching in your class this winter. I look forward to getting to know you and your classmates throughout this school year!
ReplyDeleteYou briefly mentioned that humor is a value on the North Shore as well as in American society more generally. Where do you see evidence of humor as a value on the North Shore? Does this humor differ from the kind of humor found on SNL?