Mel Brooks once said “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.” The quote brings up two important things for any aspiring comedian to be aware of. First, that comedy and tragedy are far more closely linked than one would think (in Shakespeare, for example, the matter can be entirely decided by whether the characters die or get married in the last act), and second that people, as a whole, are far less likely to laugh at themselves than they are to laugh at others. Once you think about this, it seems to be true, but in that truth there is something unsettling.
If people are unable to laugh at themselves, then there is no hope for comedy to be anything more than an aggravated attack on another person. The very idea that comedy can go both ways in the joke teller-listener relationship often cushions the blow and makes the listener feel better about being kidded. This need to reassure the listener must be filled, so even if we are unwilling to laugh at ourselves, we must at least try to. A comedian getting roasted on Comedy Central may not actually enjoy the roasting process, but as long as he or she pretends to, then we can maintain the teller-listener balance. In a world where people are professionally biting, the common person needs a way to fight back and feel safe. This is because comedy, for all its apparent light-heartedness, is a harsh game, and sometimes the players need help off the bench.
No comments:
Post a Comment