Can Sitcoms Be Political ... Again?

Sitcoms. Thirty minutes of a ridiculous situation meant to make us all laugh and vegetate on our sofa after work. Can they be political? Of course. In fact, I see no real point in a sitcom's existence if it doesn't try to prove some point or other. Otherwise, it would just be a show that stresses me out for thirty minutes at a time as I watch everything go wrong ... once again.

My drama teacher in high school used to always tell us that comedies are the hardest genre to pull off. And it's true. Because comedy is tricky. Comedians are funny because they blatantly break your expectations and cross every societal line in existence. The point isn't just to be as crude as possible, but to force you to see something nasty within human nature or society that you would otherwise continue to go about your day blissfully ignoring. No one wants to admit they have character flaws. So comedians take the liberty of shoving them in your face. And we laugh about it. Because we know it's true. And we would much rather laugh off our flaws that sit in awkward silence pondering them.

Therefore, what better place does a sitcom have than to be political? Prove a point. Ask for a change. As Steve Marche said, "The difficulty and confusion of the present moment are bursting with potential." I guess I never knew there was a question of the political usefulness of sitcoms in our society. But after reading Marche's article, sitcoms' political-ness shouldn't be fading away. Be stereotypical. Be outrageous. Offend viewers. That's the point. Force those watching to understand that the caricatures they are laughing at/ being offended by are merely representations of themselves.

All in all, I think most people would agree that sitcoms are fairly harmless. They are therefore a perfect outlet to serve as this political/ social highlighter. I can think of very few people who will be legitimately outraged by a silly sitcom. Sitcoms can then fly under the radar of angry American mobs, while still proving the same point that a lobbyist or politician may be attempting to make and getting shot down with rotten tomatoes.

Perhaps a form of subliminal messaging? Is that actually ethical ... is it considered "brainwashing?" Maybe, maybe not. That's another discussion for another day.

So make me laugh. While asking me to change.