#conanposting

I haven’t seen the whole ceremony yet, but Conan’s Mark Twain Award acceptance speech was exactly what I was hoping for, and it’s been interesting to see it framed as more political than his usual comedy. Laurie Kilmartin once made a distinction between jokes that make people laugh and jokes that make people cheer, which made me realize that Conan has been pretty dedicated to laughing and pretty disinterest in cheers. But that doesn't mean his comedy has been fully apolitical.

A statement of shared belief can be validating, comforting, can make you want to cheer-- it can be a Cheer Joke, a statement that draws the audience in not through humor but through the catharsis and joy of validation and shared belief. It's political almost by definition, and I do like that, and I do enjoy that type of comedy. I enjoy Cheer Comedy just as much as I enjoy Laugh Comedy.

But it made me notice that Conan Must Go episodes like the Haiti, Mexico, and Greenland shows were filled with laughter, not cheers. They fostered connection not through shared righteousness, not through the powerful validation of hearing our beliefs stated bravely and unapologetically by a public figure, but through the much more intimate power of giving and receiving kindness, joy, and understanding. Especially with people who we are supposed to see as Other. 

The heart of Conan's humor -- the thesis of many comedians-- has always been "we can share joy with people who are different from us, humility engenders more connection than any assurance of our righteousness, to bring someone laughter is an act of love.” And while none of that should be political, a lot of it always was and is. Making someone laugh can be an offer of connection, and connection can be a revolutionary act.

Especially now, when the world feels very dark, laughter is a smaller target. Harder to hit. Harder to see. Harder to ignore. It's something bright to hold onto, a promise of joy and connection. Sometimes it's also a masturbating bear. But, mostly, it’s just not feeling alone.