Mixing Humor and Serious Topics: Hannah Gadsby and Bo Burnham

    I chose Krefting's article because its topic of satire and stand up comedy is precisely what I am looking into for my research paper this semester. In her article, Krefting describes Tasmanian comedian, Hannah Gadsby, and her special use of satire. According to Krefting, satire is a mix of anger and humor (4). Comedians like Gadsby use satire to shed light on particular issues they feel are important. Gadsby makes jokes about her experiences as a lesbian and also makes a lot of commentary about gender violence, which is not a very humorous topic. "Because she refuses to ease tension with laughter, it would seem that her satire has failed. But has it? Her messages have been widely disseminated. She has made people laugh hard and think harder" (Krefting 8). By mixing her comedy with serious notes, Gadsby has allowed to bring her audience to think deeper on the various subjects she talks about. 

    I find this technique to mix a serious topic with humor to be a very interesting way for comedians to introduce their own personal opinion on topics they care about. Gadsby's use of satire reminds me of the comedian, Bo Burnham. Popular for his multiple Netflix specials, Burnham' unique delivery of combining comedy and music makes him stand out against others in his field. In his most recent special, Inside, Bo shows a lot of growth. He goes into depth about the idea of derealization and how the internet has negative impacts on our minds. He mixes his humor with an image of the isolation many felt over the past year as we lived through the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which hits pretty close to home. Since Inside was released on Netflix, it has become largely talked about on social media for making its viewers think beyond the jokes and analyze how the internet is isolating them further. I find his work to be extremely interesting and this special specifically really shows a different side to Burnham and gives a new idea of what comedy can look like.