The Risk Of Comedy

The Risk of Comedy

What is risk and is risk significant? There are many ways for one to describe risk. One may portray it as a doubt about a particular situation, or simply state it as the chance or possibility of loss. For example, in a high-risk circumstance, there is a possible outcome of damage to property, the loss of a loved one or object, or any undesirable event one could cause or imagine. Based on this description, one may only desire low risk situations likely to turn into success, profit, or other personal gain. It also very likely that a person will undertake a great risk for an even greater positive result in spite of knowing that it could be both harmful to themselves and others. What's wrong with that? After all, a man known as Dr. Farley once said, "This nation was founded by risk takers...Ben Franklin didn't wear no freakin' helmet..."

So then, what could be regarded as a risk with a likely positive outcome? One could ask that certain someone out on a date, in which the worst case would end in a temporary, nonetheless embarrassing, rejection or a lifelong, blissful relationship with one's potential soul mate. Intense mountain climbing, such as in the novel Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, is a very high risk with one of few possible results; one either attempts the climb of Everest and succeeds or, due to weakness, weather or death, they fail. Another, slightly less dangerous, risk is being a comedian. How could being a comedian be taking a risk? Arguably, few could better illustrate the risks a comedian takes on than Karen Loftus, who wrote:

Comics are the bungee jumpers of the entertainment world. We risk our lives every night. We also risk our egos, our integrity and our art. But it's the risk, the challenge and the thrill that keeps us coming back. We are the true thrill seekers. Every comic wants to kill, not be killed. The only thing worse than dying on stage is dying offstage. ("Is This Thing On?")

There are many healthy and valuable outcomes of using comedy that many forget to bear in mind. One could use comedy to entertain and to make one laugh; for social benefits, such as popularity or fame; to encourage, strengthen friendship, or to educate; to include a newcomer into a group; and other times to hurt, get even, or express hostility, sentiment, and aggression. Having a sense of humor is healthy, valuable, and rewarding. One may wonder, "What is humor?" As Patty Wooten explains in her article, humor is a perspective on life that enables us to experience joy even when faced with adversity. Of course, to fully experience the joy that humor can bring, people must share that perspective with others and join together in the laughter. Similarly, a Jewish humorist and educator, Moshe Waldoks states that "A sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the unbearable." In other words, our sense of humor and ability to laugh helps to nurture and protect our body, mind, and spirit during times of hardship. Whether it is humor in reference to health or in reference to culture and race, it is clearly a way to rise above oppression. In yet another quote that clearly gives evidence of the positives of comedy, Andrew J. McClurg writes:

...[humor is] a fundamental ingredient of successful discourse in all contexts...humor helps hold audience attention, enhances audience perception of the speaker, increases interest in the subject matter, builds rapport between speaker and audience, and increases retention of the content.

On another note, people presume that humor is only supposed to be funny; they expect to be entertained

instead of learning. But in fact, humor is a serious business; not trivial, but important. The definition of humor is "one who provokes amusement." Comedians make a living entertaining audiences, all the while attempting to come up with raw, creative material, pushing the limits, and challenging the views of others.

Naturally, there are negative outcomes to "abusing" comedy or not using it "correctly." In Andrew J. McClurg's experience, when "...used clumsily, insensitively, or in too large a dose, humor can be dangerous and destructive." A lot can go wrong