It might seem peculiar that people are laughing and having fun while the coronavirus has killed more than 10,000 people in the UK. However, it’s incredibly important to maintain your sense of humor during a crisis. For example, British comedian and writer David Baddiel told The Atlantic’s Tom McTague that people always turn to comedy during difficult times. Even if that means poking fun at the coronavirus which some people can find offensive or insensitive.
“People want jokes,” Baddiel explained. “Partly because jokes are a relief, and they take the edge off danger; partly because they are a way of processing the experience; and yes, partly because this is a massive shared experience. We can't really do much about these things, but we can laugh in the face of them. In a godless society, it's the one eternal victory we have.”
Meanwhile, British Australian comedian Tim Minchin told McTague that he agrees with Baddiel’s conclusions. “We don’t laugh at scary things because we don’t understand their seriousness. We laugh because they’re serious. Making jokes gives us a sense of power over the threat.”
Both comedians think that joking about serious things is not inappropriate. In their opinion, the people who talk about jokes being inappropriate are dealing with the situation by trying to control things in a different way.
“Their weapon is signaling their moral purity,” Minchin said before adding, “Both the clowns and the virtuous can at times be bores or boors or bullies.” In other words, both comedians and “serious” individuals have their pros and cons and neither is better than the other. But one thing’s for certain—not even 2020 will make Brits lose their sense of humor.
