Giggles
in
Gloom:
Humor
During
Times
of
Plague
Throughout
human
history,
outbreaks
of
disease
have
spurred
fear,
loss,
and
social
upheaval.
Yet
even
in
these
darkest
hours,
comedic
impulses
have
not
disappeared.
On
the
contrary,
when
the
specter
of
plague
hung
over
medieval
towns
or
modern
cities,
people
often
found
solace—and
sometimes
even
a
measure
of
defiance—in
laughter.
This
approximately
3,200-word
article
explores
how
humor
functioned
during
various
plague
eras,
focusing
on
medieval
Europe’s
Black
Death,
early
modern
outbreaks,
and
later
pandemics.
We
will
look
at
how
comedic
forms—whether
jokes,
carnival
celebrations,
satirical
stories,
or
folk
rituals—helped
communities
cope
with
mortality,
maintain
social
bonds,
and
occasionally
challenge
the
authority
figures
who
struggled
to
contain
the
crisis.
Important
Link
For
further
historical
insight
into
disease
and
societal
response,
see
The
Wellcome
Collection,
which
provides
resources
on
the
cultural
history
of
medicine
and
epidemic
outbreaks.
I.
Shadows
of
Pestilence,
Flickers
of
Laughter
The
term
“plague”
conjures
images
of
claustrophobic
city
streets,
panicked
flight,
and
wagons
piled
with
corpses.
Yet
disease
outbreaks
often
produced
contradictory
responses
in
the
societies
they
ravaged.
While
fear,
superstition,
and
scapegoating
were
common,
so
too
was
a
certain
gallows
humor.
How
could
laughter
coexist
with
mass
death?
The
answer
lies
in
the
resilience
of
the
human
spirit:
humor
can
act
as
an
emotional
release,
a
form
of
solidarity,
and
at
times,
even
a
subtle
protest
against
the
cruelty
of
fate
or
inept
authorities.
A
Universal
Phenomenon
From
the
late
antique
Plague
of
Justinian
(6th
century
CE)
to
the
global
pandemics
of
the
19th
and
early
20th
centuries,
comedic
expression
frequently
surfaced
in
diaries,
letters,
and
oral
traditions.
Whether
rooted
in
denial,
bravado,
or
philosophical
acceptance
of
mortality,
such
humor
underlines
a
fundamental
human
impulse:
to
maintain
a
sense
of
agency,
no
matter
how
dire
the
circumstances.
The
Black
Death
as
a
Pivotal
Example
Perhaps
the
most
iconic
plague
outbreak
in
the
European
imagination
is
the
Black
Death
of
the
mid-14th
century.
Killing
an
estimated
one-third
to
half
the
continent’s
population,
it
reshaped
religious
practices,
economic
structures,
and
cultural
life.
Remarkably,
amid
the
horror,
comedic
anecdotes,
satires,
and
even
festival-like
gatherings
occurred.
These
episodes
reveal
how
laughter
and
tragedy
can
converge,
forging
a
peculiar
but
powerful
coping
mechanism.
II.
Medieval
Europe’s
Dance
with
Death:
The
Black
Death
(1347–1353)
Socio-Religious
Context
When
the
Black
Death
reached
Europe
in
1347,
societies
were
still
fundamentally
shaped
by
feudalism
and
a
pervasive
Christian
worldview.
Religious
institutions
attempted
to
interpret
the
plague
as
divine
punishment.
Flagellant
movements,
intense
devotional
practices,
and
scapegoating
of
minorities
(notably
Jews)
abounded.
Yet
for
every
apocalyptic
vision,
one
might
also
find
a
carnival
that
soared
in
attendance
or
a
comedic
anecdote
about
a
local
cleric’s
panic.
Tension
Between
Piety
and
Folly
The
Church
urged
repentance,
but
many
Europeans
responded
with
a
hedonistic
“live
for
today”
mentality.
Chroniclers
from
that
era
remark
on
how
certain
townspeople,
convinced
the
end
was
near,
threw
raucous
parties.
The
comedic
dimension
surfaced
in
parodic
songs
that
lampooned
doomsayers
or
teased
officials
who
enforced
quarantines
too
late.
While
these
gatherings
might
have
accelerated
infection
spread,
they
also
served
as
cathartic
escapes
from
collective
dread.
Boccaccio’s
“Decameron”:
A
Canonical
Example
Giovanni
Boccaccio’s
Decameron
(circa
1353)
offers
a
literary
snapshot
of
humor
and
storytelling
against
the
backdrop
of
the
plague.
In
this
frame
narrative,
ten
young
Florentines
flee
the
stricken
city,
passing
the
time
in
a
country
villa
by
telling
tales.
While
not
all
are
comedic,
many
stories
brim
with
satire,
erotic
twists,
and
witty
jabs
at
social
hypocrisy.
The
very
act
of
storytelling
becomes
a
means
to
keep
despair
at
bay.
-
Contrasting
Dark
Reality
and
Comic
Relief:
The
Decameron
opens
with
a
grim
description
of
plague-ravaged
Florence,
yet
swiftly
shifts
to
lighter
narratives
about
cunning
lovers
or
foolish
priests.
Boccaccio
underscores
that
even
amid
death,
laughter
thrives—offering
fleeting
but
vital
solace.
Carnival
Traditions
and
“Dances
of
Death”
The
Middle
Ages
were
rich
in
festivals
like
carnival,
where
social
norms
inverted
and
comedic
revelry
took
center
stage.
During
plague
outbreaks,
these
festivities
sometimes
grew
more
extreme.
The
“Danse
Macabre,”
or
Dance
of
Death
motif,
emerged
as
visual
and
performative
art,
depicting
skeletons
cavorting
with
people
from
all
social
classes—kings,
popes,
merchants,
peasants.
Though
macabre,
the
scenes
carried
a
sardonic
wit,
suggesting
that
Death
spares
no
one.
In
some
regions,
street
performers
enacted
comedic
sketches
featuring
a
skeletal
figure
mocking
human
vanities.
-
Subversion
of
Authority:
By
personifying
Death
as
a
wily
trickster
who
snatches
the
high
and
mighty,
these
comedic–morbid
traditions
subtly
challenged
the
power
structures
of
the
era.
If
the
plague
could
kill
a
noble
just
as
easily
as
a
beggar,
social
hierarchy
lost
some
of
its
aura
of
invincibility.
III.
Early
Modern
Outbreaks:
Continuity
and
Transformation
The
Black
Death
was
not
an
isolated
event;
plague
recurrences
haunted
Europe
for
centuries.
Cities
such
as
London,
Venice,
and
Marseilles
endured
repeated
quarantines.
Each
new
wave
sparked
variations
on
comedic
responses—ranging
from
scurrilous
pamphlets
to
bawdy
songs.
Meanwhile,
transformations
in
governance
and
communication
(the
spread
of
printing
presses,
the
rise
of
centralized
states)
shaped
how
humor
circulated.
London’s
Plague
Years
Between
the
16th
and
17th
centuries,
London
suffered
multiple
outbreaks,
notably
the
Great
Plague
of
1665–1666.
Cultural
documents
from
that
period,
including
diaries
and
broadside
ballads,
capture
how
comedic
expression
provided
a
psychological
buffer.
-
Broadside
Ballads:
Sold
on
the
streets,
these
cheaply
printed
sheets
featured
songs
or
verses.
Some
ballads
lamented
the
plague,
while
others
ridiculed
the
flamboyant
quack
doctors
peddling
bogus
cures.
This
comedic
take
on
medical
charlatans
assured
frightened
readers
that
at
least
some
forms
of
“plague
remedy”
deserved
only
laughter. -
Samuel
Pepys’s
Diary:
Though
not
purely
comedic,
Pepys’s
diary
offers
glimpses
of
wry
humor.
He
mentions
humorous
rumors—like
false
claims
that
certain
tavern
owners
had
discovered
a
plague-proof
ale—and
comedic
mistrust
of
official
edicts.
Humor
emerges
as
a
social
adhesive,
uniting
individuals
in
a
city
under
siege.
Italian
and
Spanish
Plague
Outbursts
Italian
city-states
like
Milan,
Venice,
and
Naples,
already
shaped
by
carnival
traditions,
saw
comedic
festivals
persist
even
during
quarantines.
Some
records
describe
masked
revellers
performing
sketches
mocking
incompetent
officials
who
locked
city
gates
too
late
or
hoarded
supplies.
In
Spain,
meanwhile,
comedic
interludes
in
religious
dramas
hinted
at
a
society
grappling
with
chaos,
ironically
lampooning
overzealous
friars
who
claimed
the
plague
was
God’s
wrath
on
a
sinful
populace.
IV.
Coping
Mechanisms:
Jokes,
Quarantines,
and
Communal
Rituals
Quarantine
Jests
As
authorities
experimented
with
public
health
measures
(locking
city
gates,
setting
up
pesthouses,
quarantining
ships),
comedic
narratives
about
these
procedures
proliferated.
In
port
towns
like
Marseille
or
Ragusa
(Dubrovnik),
local
wits
coined
jokes
about
how
quarantines
inadvertently
starved
the
healthy
while
letting
rats
or
fleas
slip
through.
One
mocking
rhyme
compared
city
officials
to
“gatekeepers
who
lock
the
barn
after
the
horse
is
stolen,”
highlighting
the
futility
of
belated
interventions.
-
Balancing
Fear
and
Humor:
Such
jokes
often
sprang
from
frustration.
Quarantines,
though
medically
sensible,
disrupted
livelihoods.
By
satirizing
them,
communities
vented
tension—maintaining
a
semblance
of
control
in
an
otherwise
helpless
situation.
Communal
Rituals
with
Comedic
Undertones
In
some
towns,
processions
took
on
comedic
elements:
actors
wearing
plague
doctor
costumes
(long-beaked
masks)
were
teased
or
pelted
with
small
objects,
signifying
popular
distrust
of
“expert”
interventions.
This
blurred
line
between
mockery
and
reverence—since
some
processions
were
indeed
religious
or
apotropaic
(aimed
at
warding
off
evil
spirits).
Embedding
comedic
vignettes
into
these
solemn
rituals
reinforced
group
cohesion,
ensuring
that
participants
could
laugh
together
at
the
unpredictability
of
the
plague.
V.
Beyond
Europe:
Other
Cultures’
Comedic
Responses
Disease
outbreaks
are
a
global
phenomenon,
and
comedic
coping
spans
cultures.
While
the
focus
here
is
largely
on
medieval
and
early
modern
Europe,
it’s
instructive
to
note
parallels
elsewhere:
-
Ottoman
Empire:
During
plague
waves,
coffeehouse
patrons
in
Istanbul
sometimes
engaged
in
comedic
shadow
plays,
featuring
stock
characters
who
ridiculed
incompetent
local
governors
or
unscrupulous
healers. -
Mughal
India:
Chroniclers
occasionally
mention
gatherings
where
jesters
or
traveling
storytellers
integrated
plague
references
into
comedic
parables,
reminding
audiences
that
royal
power
meant
little
against
disease. -
Chinese
Folklore:
Epidemics
in
imperial
China
led
to
comedic
puppet
shows
that
satirized
official
corruption
and
superstitious
scapegoating.
The
comedic
frame
offered
a
buffer
for
political
critique.
These
instances
echo
the
universal
theme:
when
plague
disrupts
society,
humor
emerges
as
an
adaptive
strategy
for
articulating
frustration,
forging
solidarity,
and,
to
some
extent,
questioning
authority.
VI.
The
Emergence
of
“Gallant
Humor”
and
Gallo-Polemic
Writings
As
the
Enlightenment
dawned
(late
17th–18th
centuries),
comedic
critique
of
plague
measures
intertwined
with
the
era’s
broader
shift
toward
rational
inquiry.
Writers
ridiculed
older
superstitions
about
plague’s
origin,
championing
scientific
or
empirical
approaches—yet
they
did
so
with
playful
wit
aimed
at
incompetent
officials
who
remained
stuck
in
medieval
thinking.
Enlightenment-Era
Pamphlets
Cities
like
Amsterdam,
Paris,
and
London
saw
the
rise
of
a
literate
middle
class
eager
for
satirical
pamphlets.
When
plagues
or
smaller
epidemics
struck
(like
repeated
bubonic
flare-ups,
or
smallpox
waves),
comedic
pamphleteers
castigated
municipal
leaders
who
resorted
to
archaic
cures:
burning
incense
in
the
streets,
banning
“evil
smells,”
or
punishing
witches.
While
these
measures
might
have
roots
in
older
plague
mentalities,
Enlightenment
wits
found
them
ripe
for
comedic
takedowns.
-
Swift,
Addison,
and
Steel:
Though
not
all
specifically
addressing
plague,
their
comedic
styles
spilled
into
public
discourse
about
health
crises.
Readers
who
had
devoured
The
Spectator
or
Tatler
now
demanded
witty
commentary
on
any
new
epidemic. -
Voltaire:
French
comedic
polemics
included
jabs
at
quarantines
that
singled
out
foreign
merchants,
fueling
xenophobia.
Voltaire’s
sharp
epistolary
style
occasionally
hammered
home
the
irrationality
behind
blaming
“outsiders”
for
disease
spread,
turning
bigotry
itself
into
a
comedic
target.
Shifting
Blame
to
Authority
No
longer
were
comedic
barbs
primarily
aimed
at
the
intangible
forces
of
fate
or
divine
will.
Instead,
they
targeted
local
governors,
city
councils,
or
religious
officials
who
refused
modern
hygiene
measures.
Jokes
about
“the
mayor
who
can’t
see
fleas”
or
“the
bishop
who
prays
plague
away
but
leaves
the
city
gates
open”
reveal
how
the
comedic
spotlight
moved
from
cosmic
fatalism
to
political
accountability.
VII.
19th
and
Early
20th
Centuries:
Cholera,
Influenza,
and
Comedic
Dissonance
Cholera’s
Grim
March
The
19th
century
experienced
multiple
cholera
pandemics
that
devastated
major
urban
centers.
In
places
like
London’s
East
End
or
the
slums
of
Paris,
comedic
street
songs
lamented
filthy
water
supplies
or
incompetent
sanitary
boards.
Some
ballads
ironically
praised
the
“miracle
cures”
hawked
by
quacks—reflecting
a
comedic
tradition
that
had
centuries
of
plague-time
precedent.
-
Satirical
Cartoons:
Publications
like
Punch
in
London
or
Le
Charivari
in
Paris
frequently
depicted
cholera
as
a
skeletal
figure
mocking
aristocrats
who
believed
themselves
immune
in
their
lavish
homes.
The
comedic
image
suggested
that
ignoring
the
poor’s
plight
would
eventually
doom
the
rich
as
well.
This
moralizing
humor
pressed
for
social
reform
(like
better
sewage
systems).
The
1918
Influenza
Pandemic
The
so-called
“Spanish
Flu”
struck
at
the
tail
end
of
World
War
I,
compounding
the
tragedy
of
global
conflict.
Despite
the
massive
death
toll,
comedic
expressions
appeared
in
soldier
newspapers,
local
gazettes,
and
even
postcards.
Soldiers
in
the
trenches
made
grim
jokes
about
“the
flu
finishing
off
what
the
enemy
bullets
didn’t.”
On
the
home
front,
comedic
postcards
might
depict
entire
families
wearing
masks,
with
captions
mocking
the
odd
new
etiquette
of
avoiding
close
contact.
-
Gallows
Humor
in
War
and
Disease:
Already
steeped
in
the
black
humor
of
wartime,
veterans
found
the
flu
outbreak
“just
another
absurd
twist.”
Politically,
some
comedic
sketches
teased
government
censors
who
downplayed
the
flu
to
keep
morale
high.
The
resulting
comedic
cynicism
shows
how
plague
or
pandemic
humor
can
feed
into
broader
critiques
of
state
narratives.
VIII.
Psychological
and
Sociological
Dimensions
of
Plague
Humor
Why
do
humans
laugh
in
the
face
of
pestilence?
Contemporary
sociologists
and
psychologists
identify
multiple
functions:
-
Emotional
Release:
Laughter
helps
individuals
confront
fear
in
a
socially
acceptable
way. -
Group
Cohesion:
Communities
unify
when
sharing
inside
jokes
about
incompetent
officials
or
comedic
relief
events. -
Identity
Affirmation:
By
mocking
external
threats—real
or
symbolic—groups
reaffirm
cultural
values. -
Challenge
to
Authority:
Humor
often
becomes
a
form
of
soft
rebellion,
highlighting
official
failings
in
controlling
an
epidemic.
The
Risk
of
Insensitivity
Not
all
comedic
responses
were
benign.
Some
jokes
targeted
scapegoats—ethnic
minorities,
foreigners,
or
alleged
witches.
Historical
records
abound
with
cruel
comedic
tales
that
reinforced
xenophobia
or
class
prejudice.
In
times
of
plague,
“us
vs.
them”
mentalities
sometimes
hijacked
humor,
turning
it
into
an
instrument
of
discrimination
rather
than
solidarity.
IX.
The
Role
of
Art,
Theater,
and
Literature
in
Shaping
Plague
Comedy
Theatrical
Adaptations
From
the
late
Middle
Ages
onward,
traveling
troupes
and
city
theaters
wove
plague
themes
into
comedic
or
tragi-comic
sketches.
A
comedic
farce
might
show
a
cunning
servant
outwitting
a
panic-stricken
lord,
capturing
the
social
leveling
effect
of
disease.
-
Commedia
dell’arte
in
Italy:
Stock
characters
like
the
greedy
Pantalone
or
the
boastful
Il
Capitano
took
on
plague-related
plots,
often
featuring
farcical
attempts
at
quarantines
or
bogus
cures.
Laughter
undercut
the
gravity
of
the
disease,
poking
fun
at
society’s
confusion.
Literary
Reflections
As
printing
technology
advanced,
plague
references
permeated
satirical
novels
and
short
stories.
Authors
like
Daniel
Defoe,
in
A
Journal
of
the
Plague
Year
(1722),
mostly
employed
a
serious
tone.
But
scattered
comedic
anecdotes
appear,
such
as
people
cracking
jokes
about
“plague
tokens”
or
mocking
friends
who
hoarded
bizarre
remedies.
The
comedic
slivers
underscore
the
complexity
of
everyday
life
during
an
epidemic:
even
while
tragedies
unfolded,
comedic
episodes
intruded.
X.
Case
Study:
Dance
Macabre
and
Morbid
Wit
The
“Danse
Macabre”
concept,
initially
medieval,
endured
through
early
modern
times
as
a
motif
in
visual
art,
poetry,
and
carnival
plays.
While
it
might
appear
purely
grim—skeletons
leading
the
living
to
the
grave—Dance
Macabre
scenes
often
contained
comedic
details:
a
skeleton
humorously
tugging
a
bishop’s
mitre
off,
or
whispering
a
jest
in
a
king’s
ear.
This
was
comedic
subversion
of
rank,
reminding
viewers
that
plague
unifies
all
under
the
banner
of
mortality.
Allegorical
Laughter
Dance
Macabre
imagery
reached
new
heights
during
plague
waves,
reappearing
in
chapbooks
with
rhyming
verses
that
teased
each
social
estate.
For
instance,
a
noblewoman
might
protest,
“Death,
I
have
new
gowns
yet
to
wear!”
and
Death
retorts
with
a
pun
about
moths
and
the
fleeting
nature
of
earthly
vanity.
Such
comedic
couplets,
while
reinforcing
spiritual
lessons,
also
offered
a
sense
of
playful
irreverence
in
the
face
of
unstoppable
doom.
XI.
Authority,
Superstition,
and
Comedic
Skepticism
During
plague
times,
official
responses
ranged
from
quarantine
to
public
prayer,
from
banning
gatherings
to
mandating
collective
processions.
While
some
measures
were
medically
sound,
others
dripped
with
superstition.
Jokers
seized
on
the
latter.
Mocking
Folkloric
Remedies
From
onions
hung
on
doors
to
loud
bell-ringing
in
the
streets,
communities
tried
everything
to
ward
off
“miasmas”
or
“evil
spirits.”
Skeptical
wits
penned
comedic
dialogues
lampooning
neighbors
who
recited
nonsense
charms.
One
17th-century
English
pamphlet
depicts
two
rustics,
Ned
and
Tom,
comically
boasting
of
“guaranteed
cures”
(like
pig
fat
rubbed
on
the
nose)
that
obviously
fail.
The
comedic
punchline
urges
readers
toward
a
more
rational
approach—foreshadowing
an
Enlightenment
stance.
Church
vs.
Popular
Humor
Where
religious
authorities
insisted
on
increased
tithes
or
processions,
satirical
ballads
might
question
whether
churchmen
were
just
capitalizing
on
plague
fears.
Some
comedic
verses
portray
bishops
as
incompetent
generals
waging
war
against
a
foe
they
do
not
understand.
This
comedic
inversion
stung:
it
equated
high
clerical
authority
with
buffoonery,
reinforcing
skepticism
about
the
Church’s
capacity
to
handle
a
natural
disaster.
XII.
The
Legacy
of
Plague
Humor
in
Contemporary
Culture
Though
modern
medicine
and
germ
theory
have
changed
how
societies
handle
epidemics,
comedic
instincts
remain.
The
COVID-19
pandemic
(2020s)
sparked
a
wave
of
memes,
jokes,
and
satirical
videos,
echoing
earlier
patterns.
People
stuck
in
lockdown
filmed
humorous
parodies
of
official
guidelines
or
mocked
“miracle
cures”
pushed
by
conspiracy
theorists.
Just
as
in
the
medieval
or
early
modern
plague
eras,
comedic
commentary
today
often
walks
the
line
between
comedic
relief
and
moral
critique.
The
“Memetic”
Evolution
Social
media
allows
humor
to
spread
faster
than
any
plague
virus
in
history.
On
platforms
like
Twitter,
Facebook,
or
TikTok,
comedic
content
mocking
official
missteps
or
bizarre
folk
remedies
can
go
viral
within
hours.
Observing
these
modern
parallels
underscores
how
deeply
rooted
comedic
coping
is
in
times
of
crisis.
Historiographic
Awareness
Scholars
studying
medieval
or
early
modern
plagues
increasingly
highlight
comedic
sources—pamphlets,
ballads,
diaries—to
get
a
fuller
picture
of
communal
mentalities.
These
comedic
artifacts
remind
us
that
widespread
fear
does
not
negate
laughter.
Indeed,
comedic
expression
may
flourish
precisely
because
it
offers
psychological
respite
and
fosters
group
identity
against
an
invisible
enemy.
XIII.
Critiques,
Dangers,
and
Ethical
Dilemmas
While
plague-era
humor
often
served
communal
or
reformist
ends,
it
also
carried
ethical
pitfalls:
-
Scapegoating:
Some
comedic
texts
punch
down
at
marginalized
groups,
reinforcing
harmful
stereotypes. -
Undermining
Effective
Measures:
Mocking
quarantines
might
comfort
the
anxious,
but
it
could
also
discourage
compliance
with
medically
beneficial
restrictions. -
Commercial
Exploitation:
Publishers
profited
from
plague-based
humor,
sometimes
sensationalizing
tragedy
for
entertainment.
Critics
argue
this
trivialized
real
suffering.
These
moral
complexities
echo
present-day
debates:
is
comedic
commentary
on
a
deadly
pandemic
a
healthy
outlet
or
a
risk
that
might
undercut
public
health
campaigns?
XIV.
Conclusion:
Enduring
Lessons
of
Laughter
Amid
Catastrophe
From
the
Black
Death’s
medieval
gloom
to
the
global
pandemics
of
modern
times,
humor
has
persistently
flared
as
a
coping
mechanism,
social
adhesive,
and
subtle
instrument
of
critique.
Whether
voiced
in
bawdy
street
ballads,
etched
into
Dance
Macabre
motifs,
or
pressed
into
clandestine
pamphlets,
comedic
expression
broke
through
the
gloom
to
remind
people
of
their
humanity.
Key
Takeaways
-
Humor
in
plague
times
is
often
a
paradox:
how
can
one
laugh
while
so
many
die?
The
paradox
dissolves
upon
recognizing
laughter’s
emotional
necessity. -
Comedic
expression
frequently
targeted
authorities
or
quacks,
highlighting
official
failures
and
profiteering.
This
subversive
edge
occasionally
paved
the
way
for
more
rational,
secular
approaches
to
disease
management. -
The
comedic
impetus
to
question,
mock,
or
invert
social
hierarchies
during
pandemics
contributed
to
broader
cultural
shifts—be
it
the
decline
of
feudal
illusions
about
nobility’s
invulnerability
or
the
Enlightenment
push
for
empirical
solutions.
Ultimately,
“giggles
in
gloom”
reflect
a
timeless
human
impulse:
when
stricken
by
forces
beyond
control,
we
cling
to
laughter
as
both
shield
and
sword.
It
is
a
shield
that
defends
mental
well-being
by
defusing
terror,
and
a
sword
that
jabs
at
incompetent
or
exploitative
systems.
Studying
plague
humor
across
centuries
affirms
that,
even
as
an
epidemic
can
fracture
society,
comedic
solidarity
can
help
patch
it
back
together—providing
a
communal
catharsis
and,
often,
sowing
seeds
of
change.
Go to Source
Author: Ingrid Gustafsson