Comedy is a lens through which you can view the world in a different context. You can easily find comedians from all walks of life, a welcome difference to our white male dominated society. Sure, we are in a time where our society is increasingly diverse, but generally, the people in power tend to be white and male (and old. Looking at you, Congress). The diversity seen in comedy isn't just random chance. Comedy has always been a voice for groups not in power. Comedians who identify as members of one of these "out" groups tend to draw audiences of like people. A comedy stage is a great platform to speak societal truths, especially those who don't have a voice in more traditional platforms of communication. When these "out" groups are given a voice, people will listen, even those who are a part of the "in" group, allowing us to see society's inner workings from a different perspective.
I was an overweight, anxious kid for 17 years and I'm now going through my second year as an overweight, anxious adult. As long as I can remember, I've tried to make people laugh. Fun is fun, and I don't really see why we should deny ourselves the pleasure. Selfish, maybe, I certainly would contribute more function to society if I was a civil engineer or educator or such, but I'm not that guy. It is easy to dismiss comedy and goofiness as a pointless endeavor, but where would we be without laughter? I have made people laugh to cheer them up, to lighten tense situations, and to disarm anger which was sometimes directed toward me. No doubt there are plenty of situations where comedy is inappropriate. My brain seems unable to recognize these situations by itself, so I just hope I can guess correctly. Not a perfect system, but it's what I've got.
My family fought quite often and passionately. Although I would usually retreat from the battleground in the heat of the moment, if I could at some point later make the involved parties laugh, then I truly believe I took a step toward our family hating each other less. Pretty hard to harbor rage when you're laughing at bad puns.
Many people don't take me seriously. I make stupid puns and lame jokes in casual conversations more often than I probably should. I don't always mean to, my brain just works that way. The way I dress and the way I carry myself is unprofessional, and many see this as a disadvantage. I guess making a ton of money and being a corporate sellout would be pretty cool, and for awhile I planned on doing just that; a political science major with dreams of law school. I have an interest in government above the perceived norm for people my age, but making people laugh is the only pursuit I have felt such an intense passion for. Laugh with me or laugh at me, I'll be living on a couch as long as it takes for me to entertain others as a profession.
Comedy is everything to me. Boom. End of article.
