I've listened to friends decide to go to medical school because they want to help humanity and make their lives worthwhile. So many Drama majors, Studio Art majors, Creative Writing majors sit around and agonize over the selfishness of their arts; they worry that they're ignoring opportunities to do something more.
Well, medicine may keep us alive, but art is what makes life worth living. That's what I always say when attempting to justify our non-medical existences. Without art -- both "high" and "low," pop culture or the classics -- we'd lose all that makes humanity so special, so great, so fulfilling.
Particularly in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy, we've all been reevaluating the way we spend our time. Jokes aren't as funny anymore, and if they are, we feel a little afraid to laugh at them. We've been watching TV and movies with a much greater awareness of what's going on in reality, quicker to point out triviality. We're questioning entertainment.
Indeed, we don't necessarily want to be taking classes right now; we don't want to ignore everything for a couple of hours and go to a movie; we don't want to read a novel purely for the pleasure of it. But we're doing it anyway, and I think it's O.K. As long as we're not forgetting the sorrow in the world and in our friends, I think it's O.K. to celebrate humanity. Just as violence and suffering have been able to bring us together -- both in support of morality and in support of peace -- perhaps a beautiful song or a moment of laughter can bring us together, as well.
At times, art can do more than make life worth living; it can take a role similar to that of medicine and actually keep us alive. We've all heard the words; "Laughter's the best medicine." And that, I suppose, would make comedians the best doctors. Perhaps the best of the best, Jerry Seinfeld said about his scheduled World Trade Center benefit comedy performance at Carnegie Hall, "We're not laughing at what happened. We're just laughing, which is how people survive" (according to E! Online).
In many cases, of course, this survival comes in the form of escapism: laughter in place of thought, of sorrow, of awareness. And while it may not be the most helpful or productive thing to do, trying to escape momentarily from reality and seriousness can make everyone feel a little better.
But escapism may not necessarily be the type of humor or entertainment we're looking for right now. Smart and thoughtful humor, indeed, can do much more; it can increase awareness of real issues by forcing us to look at things in a different way. Entertainment can offer a venue for laughter without letting us escape from the larger context of life. It can give us a place for laughter among the sadness.
While the traditional forms of escapism -- trashy novels, crappy movies, daytime TV -- may just suck up our time and energy, real art and smart entertainment will help us find expression for our thoughts, outlets for our emotion, and an affirmation of being alive.
I don't think we need to feel guilty for watching movies and reading books, or for painting, writing and performing. It's how we cope, how we grieve and celebrate; art is how we come together, allowing ourselves to continue as well as refusing to let ourselves forget.
And with this in mind, we can change the mainstream culture of the United States. Maybe the boundaries drawn by entertainers and their audiences will not eliminate the joy of humanity, but will actually enhance it. Maybe we'll lose our tolerance for offensive humor, jokes made without thought, without sensitivity, and at the expense of others.
Television and movie producers and writers, no doubt, are reevaluating their boundaries. And hopefully, they'll redraw their lines more thoughtfully this time. No longer willing to gloss over tragic world issues or to use serious and violent crime as plots in thoughtless action movies, we can enter a world culture that perhaps will be more tolerant and aware. Yet we can still maintain an appetite for beauty and for laughter.
Lorne Michaels (executive producer of Saturday Night Live), for instance, told The New York Times, "We think we can find some humor Silly is more than welcome right now." And maybe that's where we'll have to begin, before gradually returning to a smarter humor that's willing to tackle tough issues in a thoughtful and useful way. And then, maybe our jokes will parallel a new worldview. We can laugh at the small within a serious big. We can take the important things seriously, and let the little things entertain us, make us happy, and make us laugh.
Taking a cue from comic master Jerry Seinfeld once again, we can focus on the excruciating minutia of daily life. There are certain unmentionables right now, at least in a comic frame of mind, but surely everyone worldwide can find a moment to laugh at the magnitude of dropping your toothbrush in the toilet.
