This path was created by Jim Witkiewicz. The last update was by Mary Lopez.
Introduction to the Truth Tellers
WOO so in further diving into my project, if you haven't noticed from the last 6 pages of my project...... I strongly believe in the power that humor is able to play in our society, meeting an unmet need in the way of communicating and healing amongst the different social issues we face. My work in this section explores the role comedians and Late night TV hosts play in acting as truth-tellers; calling aspects of our society out in real time, pointing out the different issues we need to talk about, fostering a discussion, that is often avoided because of the horror, or uncomfortably a certain issues holds. Being able to deconstruct such circumstances through the eyes of laughter, allows us to somehow begin to digest certain horrors, providing people the ability to process, speak and act about painful topics that need to be addressed, and not view them as ‘taboo’. Whether that be rape, the US prison system, racism, mental health and everything else that makes it such a GRAND time to be alive! The comedians and TV shows that follow, I feel are diving into these problems, deconstructing through humor acting as guides to some of our largest cultural debates. Let me note that these are only a FEW of the many incredible comedians and late night hosts who are utilizing humor as a means to foster a conversation while providing constructive and active healing.
I am zooming in on a couple of different comedians and Late Night hosts, that are utilizing humor as a means to foster a conversation and provide healing. There are MANY more; let me just say the three letters, SNL--- could be an entire project in itself. I hope to continue this exploration of humor as I move forward in exploring the power humor and horror hold in the same space.
"As a comedian, we're the truth-tellers in the world. We say what actually happens. You know, politicians say what you want to hear, and the media says what they want you to hear, and comedians are the only people that are out there telling the truth to the people." Canadian comedian, Russell Peters'
This page has paths:
- Humor Missing the Mark: Yikes Mary Lopez
- MLo's Senior Project Mary Lopez
