Television reports with their dynamic, almost music video–like clips, short and energetic sentences, and youthful fervor make our lives interesting with the illusion of awareness. And if humor is added to the mix, then our life becomes even more interesting. 

Humor has an important, unique feature: it originates from disparity (in measures, calibers, the real and the imagined, the situation and the essence, remarks and action). Say, you pull something (a person, incident, decoration, or plant) from its place and put it in a new context. The person (incident, plant, idea, thought) under disharmonious circumstances begins to glisten with new colors. One of the colors is humor. 

This, for instance, is how the website of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) acted, which recently, because of the complicated US dollar–Armenian dram ratio, had a great number of visitors. On the CBA website, in the place of priority, is information about Galanthus Artjuschenkoae. This “snowdrop” with “attractive flowers” [as stated in the Armenian version of website] created a very fragile connection with the USD exchange rate offered by the CBA, which was either quite outdated or the opposite, very fresh — tomorrow’s rate. But in any case, it did not correspond to reality. The play on contexts caused laughter (what became important was the flower not the dollar-dram war). 

Humor can revive a dormant audience and can bring down that same audience to the level of animals. Of course in both cases they are interesting metamorphoses. It’s not worth talking about bruttish, debilitating, below the belt humor. 

It’s more interesting to examine the intermediate version, when humor begins to serve the task of putting to sleep and makes passive viewership preferable. 

Say, you laugh, and with that close the subject and move on. A sharp topic slides on the surface and without prompting you to bite, scratch, sober up, or reflect, falls into a hole with no way out. Rather, there’s one way out: to remain in the hole and get enjoyment. To become a passive consumer of information.

Media regularly uses humor as a format for comments. It’s progressive and fashionable especially in offering news. Comedy programs, sketches, and shows with a humorous edge are already conquered spaces, while the news, not so much. There is room for improvement in the way the news is presented. 

Armenian television has a “weekly satirical review of news”. I’m talking about ArmComedy [AM], which is the unique format that serves the task of putting to sleep. The creators are great, the script is great, the editing of the reports is great, but all of them together evoke perplexity. 

The truly progressive and fashionable young men who produce ArmComedy know that their target audience wants to be happy and laugh (to be honest, we all do). They offer a type of humor that claims to be current and timely. 

And since there is no shortage of funny incidents in Armenia’s political, economic, cultural and other sectors (one thing is said, something altogether different is done), while some officials generate ideas (about the crisis, stability, bright future) that evoke laughter and continue those ideas in the next second with ridiculous explanations, ArmComedy has no problem getting rich material for its programs.  

The series selects those absurd ideas and actions and, exacerbating the degree of absurdity, offers to laugh at something that is funny even without it being exacerbated. 

For example, take parliamentary speaker Galust Sahakyan’s remark [AM] that there is no corruption, but there is bribery, and, by the way, in all sectors. This really is a funny idea, since it was uttered not by an ordinary citizen in ordinary conversation, but by the second figure of the Republic of Armenia, the National Assembly president, at the National Assembly. The primitive idea said with a serious expression on his face and the high-ranking position creates the conformity which elicits laughter. 

Let’s forget for a moment that Sahakyan is a giant of such ideas, the issue is that ArmComedy yanks his absurd remark from the serious setting and throws it in the field of smiles. That is to say, it throws it in its place, where Galust Sahakyan also should be. And laughter, becoming permissible and encouraged, fades since conformity is acquired. Two minus signs become a plus sign.

Well, it’s our Galust Sahakyan, in our club, saying ideas understandable to us. 

That’s it, subject closed. We laughed, we reconciled with the fact that this is the parliament and the parliamentary speaker we have, and we move forward.  

That which often appears on the screen becomes the norm and creates stability. Stability now is to calm down by mocking not to be concerned by getting angry. Anger implies continuation, while getting pleasure by mocking implies coma, inaction. 

Of course, ArmComedy is a successful project, but let there be no illusions: the overall trend of their chosen format is reconciliation. Reconciliation between the audience and the absurd reality, which is done with pleasure and directed to quite a young audience. The team of this program has succeeded in producing humor on a conveyor belt, beautifully packaging the sharp edges, and making candy out of a thorny life. In that candy life, everything is great and everything is in its place.

Generally, news media outlets strive for mass agreement on the point which contains no contradiction. Usually, that’s the low (very low) point, practically third-grade level, where there is not yet power to create their own context. What works well here instead is mass laughter. And through laughter this point can be raised stage by stage. If, of course, there is such a goal.  

Courage is needed to enter the field of humor — and greater courage to stay there. ArmComedy, which had potential and years ago truly worked on different levels, today (if it wants) can work for a broader and more adept audience. For an audience that doesn’t chuckle by seeing a naked breast on a canvas and doesn’t rush to laugh on the miserable ideas of miserable people. At least it tries to change something. Making change through humor is trickier and a more thankful task than putting (the audience) to sleep through humor.  

Perhaps we too should say thanks to ArmComedy. One of these days. 

Nune Hakhverdyan

Updated December 17 at 11:25 pm local time: The phrase “the third figure of the Republic of Armenia” was amended, since according to Armenia’s Constitution, the National Assembly president is the country’s second (not third) figure.

 

The views expressed in the column are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Media.am.