When the laughs go viral

Have you seen the Hong Kong girl singing Natalie Imbruglia’s famous song Torn to describe her hands (dry, rough skin with all the hand-washing)? Or the UK family recreating One Day More from Les Miserables to mirror their current situation? Are you following Indian content creators, or shared one-liners like...
I have been eating so much that I am fattening the curve.
Every few days, try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pyjamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
I’m so excited – it’s time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?
As we stare down at an extended lockdown, many of us are finding a reason to laugh. There are sketches on lockdown life, lampooned lyrics, Zoom fails, TikToks and memes. Never was the collective need to lighten up so glaring. The crisis has, in fact, spawned an almost industrial output of humour.
Writer Tom McTague writes in The Atlantic that humour helps us take back control and connect – the two things we have lost in our fight against the pandemic. Humour researcher Peter McGraw, director of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Humor Research Lab, says that it is the distraction you need.
LOCKDOWN ha-has
Etiquette expert and clinical psychologist, Pria Warrick says humour is a great way to handle the anxiety of the current situation. “But how much humour helps, depends on your mental state before the lockdown started. So even as you consume content, you need to know that you have to work on yourself constantly during this period,” she advises. In the current scenario, a joke is our comfort blanket.
McTague quotes British comedian David Baddiel: “People want jokes. 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.” Actor and comedian Naveen Polishetty would agree. “As an entertainer, I feel the importance of my profession all the more now. When people log in to their phones, I want to give them something to watch that lightens their mood and makes them feel positive,”
he says. His quarantine series on Instagram has people comment that it helped them cope better.
SMILE AND HEAL
Humour is currently a form of collective therapy. But people are also hurting and reacting. Recently, writer and influencer Erin Foster posted a picture of her 2019 wedding with a tongue-in-cheek caption: “Not to brag but what a time to be already married”. Her feed exploded with comments on her insensitivity. She apologised and took the post down. As people are isolated, they are looking to social media for connection. A reason why TikTok is having a hero moment. Warrick says, “The etiquette of sharing humour has now shifted to the social media, where the audience has become larger. Always keep that in mind while cracking a joke.” A good laugh is a great stressbuster – make it count.
Jokes are great but be sensitive
Don’t joke about death – obviously. If you go too dark, you can actually add to the paranoia. Avoid doomsday jokes. After all, you are living the reality
Stay away from political and religious jokes. What else is not good to joke about? The economy, class divide, child abuse and domestic violence
Share a joke on how it’s affecting everyone’s life: lockdown, cooking, eating too much, party life are all on board
You don’t have to always share or joke about corona. There is some life outside of the pandemic too, explore that
If you are a content creator, you don’t have to churn out stuff every day
Don’t show your privilege or punch down. Recently, someone on Instagram joked about that it’s now that she finally found out how her maid was not doing good work. Someone who works minimum wages and is more vulnerable in this situation shouldn’t be your target
Don’t be pessimistic. Give sarcastic one-liners a rest for now
Genuine content about lockdown life created by amateurs is doing a lot better and going viral
-By Nupur Amarnath