Chris Bliss: Comedy is translation

http://www.ted.com Every act of communication is, in some way, an act of translation. Onstage at TEDxRainier, writer Chris Bliss thinks hard about the way that great comedy can translate deep truths for a mass audience.

Chris Bliss explores the inherent challenge of communication, and how comedy opens paths to new perspectives.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate

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• Category

  Comedy

[xjustamem0ryx]

this might help explain how people who struggle in academic subjects that seem almost to just "never be able to get it" may all of a sudden get it if you intertwine comedy and metaphor into how you communicate the subject.

[theamazinbagman]

my fucking ears

[Spencer Williams]

Chris makes a good point here.

Unfortunately, he constantly wraps it in his political and (a)religious agenda. A shame -- I'd share this video, but I don't endorse his views.

[amt253]

I disagree, and I think you're underthinking the power of comedy. I'm not suggesting that "laughter is acceptance" on a conscious level. Laughter is so powerful because it subtly, slowly, and over time reorganizes the brain without the listener consciously rethinking their beliefs. If you laugh at a progressively satirical expression of your beliefs, that challenge generates cognitive dissonance that will, over time, result in a change of your beliefs.

[dmoney69696969]

People don't listen to comedians in order to have their beliefs challenged. Usually, they are going to hold the belief regardless. A joke doesn't usually make people rethink their position and they aren't looking for that to happen anyway. If they are looking to have a belief challenged they will watch something serious.

[amt253]

Laughter is acceptance.

Which is good if the comedy is progressive, but very bad if the comedy is not.

Shows like Family Guy use laughter to reinforce prejudices and confirm patterns of inequity rather than challenging them.

It's too bad he doesn't talk about the dangers of mass-produced comedy that promotes bigotry.

[aoliveira000]

Excellent talk. Thank you.

[VoiceOfAleppo]

insightful

[LAmoZzz]

I obviously don't comedy during the class of math unfortunately there is no way in which you could apply comedy to math itself))

[xjustamem0ryx]

heh maybe. though I've had some pretty comedic math teachers. it's not foolproof, mixing comedy into it, but if anything it makes it more bearable.

[LAmoZzz]

I use headphones. Imagine that((

[LAmoZzz]

It's going to be kinda hard for mathematicians :))