A Working Guide to the

Landscape of Arts for Change

A collection of writings depicting the wide
range of ways the arts make community, civic,
and social change.

Photo from Kristina Wong website

Comedy and Democracy:
The Role of Humor in Social Justice
By Nancy Goldman, Ed.D.

In this paper, Nancy Goldman explores what is humor, what is funny, and the power of using
humor in areas of social justice. America’s most popular humorists, including Benjamin
Franklin and Mark Twain, have a long tradition of critiquing the dominant forces in society and
ridiculing those in power. Since American society was built on the ideals of democracy but is
awash in the realities of social and political imperfections, comedy can bring awareness to
these discrepancies in a way that we can hear.

Humor is a social corrective. Through many examples, Goldman illustrates how humor can
validate experience, help us to think more flexibly and reframe situations, illuminate the ways
in which we live in the world politically, and be used to critique social injustice. Humor can
diffuse the tension around controversial topics, such as in Laura Cunningham’s play and film
about fracking, “Frack You.” Goldman discusses how satire can subvert authority and expose
hypocrisy, highlighting comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert who obscure the lines
between news and comedy. In stand-up storytelling, D’Lo uses his sense of humor along with
his body to confront society while making a safe space for people to be open and absorb
information. Goldman looks at the relationship between humor and stereotypes and the
impact that humor about race and ethnicity plays in society. Examples include Alex Barnett, a
comedian who is broadening the scope of audiences’ thinking by his alternative perspectives
about race, and Kristina Wong, who takes topics that are often taboo, such as mental illness
and mail-order brides, and shines a light on them, making the invisible visible. Humor engages
audience members in thinking, feeling, and speaking about the ways that we live in the world
together, all of which can inform change.

A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change is supported by the Surdna
Foundation as part of the Arts & Social Change Mapping Initiative supported by
the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Open Society Foundations, CrossCurrents
Foundation, Lambent Foundation, and Surdna Foundation.
2

THE POWER OF HUMOR

George Carlin said, “No one is ever more herself or himself than when they really laugh. Their
defenses are down…They are completely open, completely

From D’Lo web site. Photo: Tani Ikeda

themselves when that message hits the brain and the laugh
begins. That’s when new ideas can be implanted. If a new idea
slips in at that moment, it has a chance to grow.” The current
theory of humor, Incongruity Theory, describes humor as an
enjoyable experience of a mismatch between what we expect
and what we experience. Since American society was built on
the ideals of democracy but is awash in the realities of social
and political imperfections, comedy can bring awareness to
these discrepancies in a way that
we can hear. This makes humor a D’Lo—Creating Safe Space
powerful communication tool
and potential change agent and D’Lo is the consummate
expands its value far beyond its hyphenate: a queer Tamil
common role as entertainment. Sri L.A.nkan-American, political theater artist, writer, director,
comedian, and music producer. D’Lo was born a girl but realized
In modern American society a early in life that he was definitely a boy. When other kids asked
sense of humor is very desirable, about his gender he would make a joke to deflect the issue.
as a glimpse at personal ads, “There’s a deep respect for people who are able to make others
popular movies, and situation laugh. So people were willing to listen to me because of that
comedies reveals. American respect.” He uses his sense of humor along with his body and his
essayist Frank Moore Colby’s (in art to confront society’s complex issues such as police brutality,
Andrews, 1993) quote, “Men will AIDS, political prisoners, violence, and, of course, masculinity,
confess to treason, murder, femininity, and sexual orientation. D’Lo started his career writing
arson, false teeth, or a wig. How hip-hop and poetry, but it was the stories in between each piece
many of them will own up to a that became a big hit because they personalized his reasons and
lack of humor?” is as true today feelings behind the issues. Through these stories he could
as it was a century ago. embody different characters and share stories that were funny
and painful, revealing the hard stuff as well as the fun stuff. D’Lo
While most of us agree that we calls his unique style stand-up storytelling and says, “I provide
enjoy humor, it is much more and maintain a safe space for people to be open and absorb
difficult to agree on what is information. These are moments when I could drop knowledge.”
humorous. Humor is unique to D’Lo performs and/or facilitates performances and writing
individuals, cultures, and times, workshops all over the world. He is currently being featured in
and in order to be appreciated it several short films.
must be placed in a context that
is easily understood. Comedy operates on an understanding of our shared social norms and
customs, national ethos, and our underlying mores. When Seinfeld posits, “What is a date

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 A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change 3

really, but a job interview that lasts all night?” he is bringing attention to the daily habits and
routines we take for granted. And when Lily Tomlin remarks, “No matter how cynical you get, it
is impossible to keep up,” she is tapping into the values and beliefs that underlie our national
psyche. Writing in 1984, Kozinski said comedians were anthropologists or “intentional culture
critics” because they “document areas of tacit knowledge…bringing them to the conscious
awareness of their particular audiences” (p. 57). Comedy awakens us to these automatic,
uncritical thought patterns in a way that we don’t find threatening. Understanding these habits
of mind (Mezirow, 2000) is important to understanding a culture and provides a context to
understand that culture’s humor. That is why we don’t really find comedy of a century ago, or
of a foreign country, very funny.

Although we would like to think that comedy is ostensibly positive, that is not necessarily true.
Humor is a double-edged sword that can have both negative and positive impact. Certain types
of humor give the possibility of moving toward inclusion, reconciliation, identification, and
harmony (Coughlin, 2004, p. 32). LaFave and Manel (1976) believe that disparaged ethnic
groups can use humorous gibes to their advantage by defusing them and making them their
own. Think, for example, of how gays and lesbians use the word “queer,” which was once
derogatory, for self-empowerment. However, humor can be devastatingly destructive, as
anyone who has been teased or mocked by a racial or ethnic slur knows. The research regarding
the impact of racial and ethnic humor results in mixed findings. According to Boskin and
Dorinson (1985), poking fun at race or ethnicity is an attempt by oppressors to use ridicule to
maintain society’s social strata and to perpetuate ethnic groups’ outsider status. Another
example regards research examining the relationship between humor and stereotypes. For
instance, Omi (1989) and Schulman (1992) believe that racial humor has the ability to reinforce
stereotypes; however, a study by Olson and colleagues (1999) indicates that listening to
disparaging humor does not seem to cause one to have more negative attitudes toward the
target group. Although research has left humor scholars divided over the impact that humor
about race and ethnicity plays in society, many performers see firsthand its potential to
challenge an audience’s assumptions, present alternative perspectives, generate conversation,
and broaden the scope of thought, and performers hear stories from audience members to that
effect.

Comedian Dean Obeidallah has been relying on this since he began using his comedy to
counteract stereotypes of Arab Americans as a result of 9/11. In response to the prejudice
directed toward the Arab community after the attacks, Obeidallah, the son of a Palestinian
father and Sicilian mother, saw an opportunity to use comedy to combat Islamophobia. He
created the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, a showcase of Arab American
performers whose humor debunks many misconceptions about Arab Americans and
demonstrates the many similarities between the two cultures. Their comedy provides
opportunities for audiences worldwide to see Arabs in a new light and will hopefully foster
greater tolerance. Obeidallah’s documentary The Muslims are Coming, co-produced with fellow
comedian Negin Farsad, is an extension of those performances and their ongoing effort to
change the national discourse through social justice comedy.

Comedy and Democracy: The Role of Humor in Social Justice

4

Alex Barnett is another comedian who is broadening the scope of audiences’ thinking by
offering his alternative perspectives about race. White, Jewish, and a lawyer, Barnett is married
to an African American woman, and they have a light-skinned son. Barnett’s mixed-race family
is the centerpiece of his act: “Talking about race is almost passé in a way. Racial issues are such
a part of the American dynamic…Discussing interracial families is the next, natural phase of
comedy. It’s what people want to hear about.” Performers who play with the line between
what is safe to speak about and what seems undiscussable can raise awareness and
consciousness of these issues and even help alleviate the shame that can be associated with
them.

Kristina Wong does this through her one-woman show, “Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,”
about suicide and depression among Asian American women. A solo performer, Wong takes
topics that are often taboo, like mental illness, and shines a light on them, making the invisible
visible. Doing this validates the experience of members of Asian American communities. Seated
anonymously in the dark, audience
members can have their feelings reflected Kristina Wong—Breaking the Silence
back to them and receive
acknowledgement they may not receive Kristina Wong is a solo performer/writer who is
elsewhere in their lives. Joking about interested in topics that society doesn’t talk about,
these topics weakens the grip of such as mental illness and mail-order brides, and in
humiliation or disgrace attached to them breaking the silence that surrounds them. Making such
and provides an opportunity for sufferers serious topics entertaining is definitely an art. Wong
to reframe the situation. Wong says, brings a multidisciplined approach to the challenge,
“[Humor] makes it easier for people to combining theater, guerilla performance, and
feel safe…It softens the space and the interactive improvisation. Humor is definitely a big part
stigma around mental health issues.” This of that equation. Wong says, “Humor creates a bridge
gives audience members an opportunity and makes it easier to enter this space.” Wong’s
to reconsider their attitudes about the current show, Going Green the Wong Way, is her fifth
issue; when Wong performs at universities solo show and examines the trials and tribulations of
there is an increase in the number of sustainable living, specifically by running a car on
students that seek help from the schools’ vegetable oil. Mildly autobiographical (Wong did have
psychological services. such a car), she is not afraid to satirize herself. She
writes, “I would describe my aesthetic at its best
as subversive, humorous, and endearingly
inappropriate.” Her irreverence makes her
social commentary “less preachy and less
militant” and creates an opening for public
discourse.
Photo from Kristina Wong website

Humor has the ability to block negative

emotions of fear and anger, emotions that
make us more reactive than proactive and

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 A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change 5

more rigid than flexible (Morreall, 1997). Morreall notes, “When we’re overcome by fear or
anger, we seldom come up with great ideas, or even new ideas.” Humor helps us think more
flexibly, which is one reason that Laura Cunningham decided to use humor in her play about the
controversial issue of fracking—drilling for gas. “The issue is so polarizing,” she says, “that
people can’t even talk about it.” By using humor “Frack You,” which was later made into a film
and aired on PBS, helps frame the conversation about this topic in an unbiased way.
Cunningham says, “Humor brings a very controversial issue to people in a non-controversial
setting.” Cunningham achieved her goal of fostering civic dialogue. Her play brought people
who were experiencing “fracking fatigue” from the overload of information, people who had
shut their minds off to the topic, back into the conversation.

From Frack You website

“Frack You”—Diffusing Contentious Debate

Laura Cunningham came to playwriting later in life out of a

desire to share her personal experiences. Her first play, “Frack
You,” concerning the controversial subject of gas drilling,
resulted from her childhood on her grandfather’s farm on the
Red Banks of the Shenango River, where they could literally
light the water on fire because of fracking. Residing in
Binghamton, New York, Cunningham could see that
communities in the region were grappling with this highly
emotional issue. “Frack You” is her first play and was crafted
with humor in a deliberate effort to diffuse the tension around
this debate and hopefully to turn screaming matches into
talking points. “Frack You” challenges viewers to move beyond
stereotypes and to consider the many sides of this complex
issue. The film increases audience awareness, provides
information, and humanizes the topic for everyone.
Cunningham said, “There hasn’t been a single time that I
haven’t been approached by someone in the audience who
says, “I learned something new from this film.’” Cunningham’s
next project examines aging and how our society treats older
people.

Comedy and Democracy: The Role of Humor in Social Justice

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SATIRE, IRONY, EXAGGERATION, PARODY: HUMOR AS SOCIAL CORRECTIVE

As we’ve seen, humor can be employed in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes, some
of which may even be contradictory, depending on one’s goals (Martin, 2007). Throughout
history one of the primary goals of comedy has been to illuminate the ways in which we live in
the world politically and to critique our legislature and laws. In the days of Old Comedy in
ancient Greece matters of great import, such as deities, rulers, war, and peace, were discussed
and scorned. Theaters were forums for civic engagement where “problems were debated,
corruption was uncovered, and injustices were corrected” (Jenkins, 1984, p. 10). In the Middle
Ages a European court jester, assuming the voice of the average citizen, could mock the king
and tell him those unpleasant truths others could not (Pollio, 1996). We inherited this
conviction that the typical civilian has a right, and a responsibility, to critique society and its
government from our political forebearers, and it is a guiding principle that has played a critical
role in maintaining our democracy.

Benjamin Franklin, Jonathan Swift, and Mark Twain’s early derisive observations were examples
of how satire could subvert authority and expose hypocrisy. Their tradition of wry observations
and sarcastic commentaries was continued throughout the 1900s by “Crackerbox
Philosophers,” an expression taken from the box of crackers available at a general store where
people discussed the news of the day (Walker, 1998). Will Rogers, a cowboy, humorist, and
social commentator, assumed Twain’s role and was America’s most popular humorist of the
1920s and 1930s. Drawing his material from daily newspapers, his jokes skewered Republicans
and Democrats alike: “Most actors appearing on the stage have some writer to write their
material. Congress is good enough for me. They’ve been writing my material for years.”
Performed during the Great Depression, his comedy provided an acceptable way to critique the
dominant forces in society and ridicule those in power. It also provided an outlet for anger and
frustration during a time of economic hardship, and it even expressed hope for a better future.

The 1960s and 1970s were eras shaped by controversy and were times of great comedic
creativity. Richard Zoglin, author of Comedy on the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed
America (2008), notes how comedy of that time was a commentary on the Vietnam War, the
civil rights movement, and the women’s rights era. Comedians let their point of view be known,
“They took aim at political corruption and corporate greed, made fun of society’s hypocrisy and
consumerist excess, mocked the button-down conformity of Eisenhower America” (pp. 2-3).
Comedy during that time emphasized the gaps between our espoused ideals and our harsh
realities, and comedians reflected the cynicism and distrust that infected the nation.

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 A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change 7

Dell’Arte International is a community of artists founded during this period as a way to help
people “invent the future and to dream the collective dreams so necessary to that future."
Inspired by commedia, an art form dedicated to poking fun at society’s authority and ridiculing
pretentiousness, the company involves local communities in the process of selecting and
creating productions that address issues that are impacting their neighborhoods. Previous
shows have dealt with the building of a Native American casino, the escalation of marijuana
growth in the region, and militarism. Michael Fields, producing artistic director, said, “Humor is
a provocation. Laughter is a way of
recognizing yourself.” Comedy is a Dell’ Arte—Recognizing Oneself through Laughter
social corrective (Combs and Nimmo,
1996), and a key to its success is that Michael Fields, producing artistic director of Dell’Arte,
it favors the underdog and dismantles believes that life is 51 percent comedy and 49 percent
those in power. tragedy, and that the two push against each other and
create a space for laughter. Dell’Arte is an international
One of the ways comedy does this is school of physical performance that is based on
by highlighting the absurdities in our commedia and located in a town 300 miles north of San
politics and political leaders. Francisco with a population of 1,200. It represents
“Saturday Night Live” (SNL) has used theater that is by, for, and with the people of this
sarcasm, irony, exaggeration, and region. Part of Fields’ job is to get audiences to laugh as
parody (which mocks the form as well a way to get them to think about the serious concerns
as the content), very effectively to this facing their communities. Fields believes, “Laughter is a
end for over 25 years. There is some way of recognizing yourself.” Audiences are
anecdotal evidence that Chevy instrumental in informing the theater pieces that have
Chase's impersonation of bumbling tackled such issues as the building of a Native American
incumbent President Ford influenced casino, the growth of the marijuana culture, and
the election of President Carter, domestic violence. Fields says, “Laughter is essential to
according to University of Missouri a healthy community. It
political science professor William brings the unvoiced voice.”
Horner. Horner also believes that SNL
had an effect on the results of the 2008 election (Columbia Daily
Tribune, 2012).

Comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert continue to obscure

the lines between news and comedy with their programs on
Comedy Central—“The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” In
2000 the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
published a report revealing that 21 percent of young people aged
18 to 29 reported learning something about the presidential
campaign regularly from comedy shows like “The Daily Show” or
“Saturday Night Live,” and 13 percent reported regular learning
from late-night shows like those hosted by Leno and Letterman
(Young and Tisinger, 2006, p. 114).
Michael Fields in Wild Card, 2001

Comedy and Democracy: The Role of Humor in Social Justice

8

However, other research argues that the jokes of fake news shows presume the viewers
already have a certain degree of understanding. Young and Tisinger (2006) went on to dispel
the myth that late-night comedy was the new source of political information for today’s youth,
hypothesizing that some news awareness is a necessary precursor to understanding the jokes
of late-night comedy. In fact, their study showed that “Young, heavy, late-night comedy
watchers tend to be heavier consumers of all types of news information,” and “young people
are not watching late-night comedy as their exclusive source of news or instead of traditional
news. Rather they are watching both.” (p. 128)

IN CLOSING

Our development as a nation, as well as our individual growth, depends upon our being aware
and informed citizens. Social and political matters impact our daily lives and call upon us for
non-partisan information, increased open-mindedness, and self-reflection. Laughing together
connects us through our similarities as a species in spite of our social and political differences.
Humor that questions the status quo allows us to consider that there are other, possibly better,
ways of being. And jokes that challenge our assumptions help us to refresh old ways of thinking.
By engaging average citizens in thinking, feeling, and speaking about the ways that we live in
the world together, humor can inform societal change. At a time in our history when we are
drowning in bipartisan rhetoric and average citizens are disenfranchised and disengaged,
humor can be our much needed ally—not only because of the levity it brings, but because it
reminds us of our potential greatness as a country.

A versatile educator, Nancy Goldman is an adjunct assistant professor at New

York University teaching storytelling; coaches entertainment industry leaders
to advance their careers; and has trained low-income New Yorkers to work in
film and television. Goldman’s career began working for groundbreaking
journalist Linda Ellerbee followed by an eight year tenure working for Montel
Williams where she became Vice President of Development. During that time
she was elected the first Chair of the Gotham-based Producers Guild of
America East. Growing up, Goldman’s dream job was to work at a comedy club
and she accomplished that by managing at two clubs in Manhattan. Her
passion for comedy led to her doctoral dissertation examining how comedians
use humor to raise awareness and consciousness about social and political
issues. Her research findings demonstrated how comedians draw upon their
past experiences and subsequently led her to study, practice and teach personal
storytelling. Goldman’s doctorate in education is from Teachers College, Columbia University.

© 2013 Americans for the Arts

For more information, visit: animatingdemocracy.org

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 A Working Guide to the Landscape of Arts for Change 9

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Combs, J. E., & Nimmo, D. (1996). The comedy of democracy. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Coughlin, C. (2004). Lezbe friends, U-hauls and Baubo: A study of lesbian stand-up comedy.
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