In an article by James Watkins for Ozy.com, Maysoon Zayid talks about her mission in comedy (8/14/2017)Comic intent
Watkins notes that she advocates, both in her bits and offstage, “to challenge stereotypes and give a voice to underserved issues,” she notes:
My No. 1 duty is to make people laugh. If I ever feel like I’m going out on stage just to preach and not make people laugh first, I’ll quit comedy and become an evangelist.
So here again we have the assertion of comic intent – laughter first. But her goal has another purpose:
Making friends
I realized that laughter makes people who hate you and want to harm you, listen to you…. it was really important for me to get people laughing and get them to relate to me so I could make my enemies my friends.
Yes, humor is a psychological reward, and giving people rewards creates liking. When they like you (or even when they are just rewarded), they are more likely to listen to you. Although above she recites the “make people laugh” line, here she switches to “getting” people laughing, a more participative model, but one that, in turn, makes them like her, makes them her friends.
Words matter
Zayid notes,
If I grew up with social media, I wouldn’t be doing the career that I’m doing right now, because the bullying that people with disabilities face, especially teens and young adults, is paralyzing. We were raised to believe that ‘sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.’ That’s completely untrue. Words matter.
I agree, which is why it matters how one makes the jokes, the laughs one goes for and gets, and how and why people laugh. I’m not sure that humor will make friends as easily as Zayid seems to think; however, it seems like a nicer path, if it works.
Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Additions?
