How Comedy Makes Us Better People
In the BBC article “How comedy makes us better people”, Mary O’Hara claims comedy holds a very relevant place in not only British politics and culture, but also in the entire world because it can be used to comprehend and come to terms with confusing events or tragedies, challenge the authority of our governments, and destroy bigoted states of mind. Humor continues to mystify the philosophers and intellects that study it to this day. Why does humor play a major part in our everyday lives? What is the significance of it? O’Hara interviews experts from many different fields discussing comedy and its heavy impact on the emotions, politics, and differing points of view. For instance, the tragedy of 9/11 had many jokes following its events because
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From authors to comedians themselves, O’Hara distributes relevant quotes from reliable experts to ensure the points made in the article are diverse and rooted in credibility. Sociology lecturer, Sharon Lockyer, shares her theories on the function of comedy and on the opposite side of the spectrum professional comedians Maeve Higgins and Jon Ronson give the first hand account of performing with a live audience. Without these resources, saying that “[c]omedy is more than just a pleasant way to pass an evening”(2) the article would be disregarded as a matter of opinion. By supplying each point with an array of examples, O’Hara manages to show the reader that many beside herself share her points. O’Hara makes sure that she backs up her claims with plenty of evidence after planting a statement. When examining how comedy changes people’s views of certain minority groups, O’Hara lays out two different examples of real situations where this is put into effect. She touches on the homosexual community, disabled community, and even on a man who shared his experience of being a policeman “to expose nonsensical policies”(5). By both using multiple resources and sharing numerous examples, O’Hara successfully convinced the reader that comedy does indeed hold a very significant place in our
From authors to comedians themselves, O’Hara distributes relevant quotes from reliable experts to ensure the points made in the article are diverse and rooted in credibility. Sociology lecturer, Sharon Lockyer, shares her theories on the function of comedy and on the opposite side of the spectrum professional comedians Maeve Higgins and Jon Ronson give the first hand account of performing with a live audience. Without these resources, saying that “[c]omedy is more than just a pleasant way to pass an evening”(2) the article would be disregarded as a matter of opinion. By supplying each point with an array of examples, O’Hara manages to show the reader that many beside herself share her points. O’Hara makes sure that she backs up her claims with plenty of evidence after planting a statement. When examining how comedy changes people’s views of certain minority groups, O’Hara lays out two different examples of real situations where this is put into effect. She touches on the homosexual community, disabled community, and even on a man who shared his experience of being a policeman “to expose nonsensical policies”(5). By both using multiple resources and sharing numerous examples, O’Hara successfully convinced the reader that comedy does indeed hold a very significant place in our