Within our society there are cartoonists, stand-up comics, comedians, writers, and television hosts that say things that other people would never dare to utter in public. The purpose of the humorists, according to Alain de Botton, is “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” In Alain de Botton’s book, Status Anxiety, he argues that these humorists serve a key function in our society. I believe this statement is true because humorists have played a role in history, allowed people to reap benefits from laughter, and confronted unmentionable issues. First, comedy has long played a role in our society. In Medieval Europe the court jesters made jokes. The jester’s jokes were thought to affect …show more content…
Saturday Night Live is a television show that is known for its humorous skits about current topics. Often the cast of humorists will impersonate a political figure such as President Obama or Hillary Clinton. They may mock a serious debate, such as on gun control, or have humorous skits about personal matters such as Hillary’s numerous pant suits. Sometimes they mock the candidate’s mannerisms for a presidential debate, such as candidates who constantly take a gulp of water between questions. Some people may feel this is embarrassing the person who it is directed towards. However, the humor is to make people laugh at nonsense topics, but it also breaks the tension on serious topics. Therefore, the humor in such shows is to bring people together to share thoughts about a topic or make light of a …show more content…
Ellen DeGeneres confronted this issue on national television when she announced that she was a homosexual. This opened the door for other people to talk about their sexuality. This topic is very sensitive for a lot of people and it helped people understand the impact it has on their lives. Also, it helped to answer a multitude of questions on the topic and make it more comfortable for people to talk about the subject. Often, when a topic is not talked about openly there are numerous rumors that stem from it. Humorists, such as Ellen, have the ability and skill to make an uncomfortable topic one that people will feel more at ease discussing with a group of people. Subsequently, this openness in discussion helps people be accepted for who they are and helps others confront