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, ] 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, pointing out the different issues we face as a society, 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.
Sketch and stand-up, is making a turn here, a leap forward in answering, not the awkward encounters and funny moments of life, but these shows are looking to take on some of the hardest subjects: racism, sexism, more issues**.. and issues such as police brutality.
"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
