In Jest There Is Truth Analysis

William Shakespeare has been noted to say that, “In jest, there is truth.” Similarly, in Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton argues that humorists’ chief aim is “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly,” and therefore are vital to us. He believes that our social notion concerning humorists, is more than them simple entertainment but more so to expose truths, whether they be societal, political, or controversial, in a light-hearted and easy-to-brush off manner, often without facing dire consequences. However, not all humorists are interested in the same genre of comedy. Botton’s argument that humorists have a vital role in society as the disguisers of truth is qualified by various political cartoons …show more content…
For example, in television serials such as The Daily Show on Comedy Central, are known to broadcast what they consider as hypocritical in a joking manner. The presenters refer to themselves as the “Best Fake News Team”, but report actual news and events in a comedic way designed to make the audience laugh, but imply the truth hoping that they realize the hypocrisies. This trend of humor isn’t just a modern day occurrence. For example, in Candide by Voltaire, the author mocks society and religion under the disguise of a clever satire, never quite forwardly criticizing the topics in order to avoid persecution. Voltaire was successfully able to veil the truth of what he believed was absurd in the humorous plight of the main character Candide. He vocalized the thoughts of many at the time of rather unstable France. In these examples, we see humorists who have made it their chief aim to jokingly state their thoughts, which consist of a hidden truth, and in turn assume a vital role in society as stating things that most could not or would not say. These humorists do play an important role in our culture, along with other humorists, who purely want to make people