Comedy and Philosophy

Modern problems require modern solutions. If you are familiar with meme culture you have come across this phrase under a photo of Dave Chappelle. This got me thinking, modern thinkers are required to come up with these solutions right? As we don’t have dedicated philosophers in the 21^st century where do we find these thinkers? The learned section of our society comprise of journalists, authors, historians and poets. But our modern problems are not necessarily academic in nature. If we talk about the youth we deal with issues related to mental health, sexuality, identity crisis and a constant feeling of failure. We can’t really turn to the academic elite to throw some light on these issues. They may not necessarily relate. The only section of society that I have personally witnessed who address all these issues on a public platform and who give relatable solutions are stand-up comics.

                                                                                    

Today’s times require people to be inclusive, understanding situations of people and overall being humane. This involves speaking openly about socially taboo topics like mental health and sexuality for example. I give credit to comedians who introduced such topics with ease through jokes. That in a way makes it easier to address these issues or at least start a conversation about the same. In today’s lingo, comedians are “woke” (I hate this word from the bottom of my heart) which means they have thought about certain issues, logically come to a conclusion about what is right and wrong. They then spread this information through the platforms available to them in the form of stand-up or a podcast. As I started my career in the comedy industry in early 2017, I had the privilege and the access to a bunch of comedians. So with surety I can say that comedians are some of the most socially intelligent crop of people in our times. Academically not all of them will be brilliant but the advice they gave me about handling social issues is by far the best I have ever received. Philosophy in a sense is a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behavior. In a way comedians are refining these guiding principles for the modern day and the modern people.

Am I placing comedians on a pedestal by comparing them to philosophers? Maybe yes. But, the problems that we face do not ask for revolutionary solutions as the ones that did in the times of Plato, Aristotle or Socrates. Current problems need to be addressed, they need to be spoken about, the stigma attached to the issues need to be removed. That job is being done very well by comics who address these issues regularly and normalize them. The tension about these topics is cut by humor which makes them easily digestible. Comedians may also be wrong about certain issues. People need not take every word they say seriously. We can however learn how to approach problems and live life in a better way by trying to find the humor in every situation.

In conclusion, don’t idealize comedians, don’t agree with everything they say if it does not sit right with you. However, keep an eye on what they are saying, the issues they are addressing through their platform. I have learnt more about the Black Lives Matter movement from a Dave Chappelle video titled ‘8:46’ than I did from news channels. Listening to Abish Mathew talking to Aakash Mehta on a podcast called Aakash and Friends gave me a clear direction on how I should approach a career in media than my academic institution ever could. There are many such videos scattered over the internet.  You might learn something by following these people and better yet you will laugh while doing so.  Comedians may never enjoy the same status as philosophers, but if you are looking for one in the 21^st century they come pretty close.

Image credits: Meme Generator