On Friday, December 8, 2024, students crowded into Lower Right of Paresky Commons for a performance by Sketchy, one of Andover’s comedy groups that attempts to satirize Andover student experiences by creating provocative and comical skits. Following the performance, however, Sketchy would be banned by the Andover administration until the Fall of 2025, with several student performers possibly facing disciplinary action. More recently, the ongoing Blue Key Head auditions have also undergone changes from previous years, including the absence of the white boards which Blue Key Heads used to write comments about auditioners on and “increased input from the deans…in how [Blue Key Heads] run certain things and adjusting plans based on input from the deans,” according to current Blue Key Head Sebastian Valasek ’24.
Groups like the Sketchy or the Blue Key Heads that use humor for a variety of reasons, whether it be for hosting a comedy show for classmates or testing the energy, passion, and perseverance of future Blue Key Head candidates, have existed at Andover and play a part in attempting to add some fun and joy into our lives. Researchers discovered, for example, that popular TED Talks incorporated humor an average of 12.92 times per 15 to 20 minutes in comparison to 3.92 times for unpopular talks, or even that individuals who had high scores on the cognitive component of humor were associated with a 78 percent lower risk of death from infection. And yet, humor also walks a fine line between what may be funny for some yet construed as hurtful to others. Whether it be professional comedians, an on-campus comedy group, or even you, the focus of jokes or skits often centers around ideas of identity. Of course, not all comedy makes use of such topics, but comedy that does oftentimes takes the spotlight for being more “relevant” and funny. On one hand, comedic jokes about identity can be used as a way of bringing to light the absurdities of stereotypes, to reclaim power and seize the narrative. But on the other, they may be distasteful, controversial, or downright problematic. Comedy is like walking a tightrope, teetering between the possibilities of telling a joke that leaves the audience howling with laughter and one that could possibly have one’s comedy group banned. With the line separating the two often blurry and ever-changing depending on the audience, setting, and even just straight-up chance, the role of comedy and its various nuances, particularly at Andover, is a question that we must consider carefully.
In thinking about the purpose that humor serves here in our student community, a common theme that arises is the reflection of campus culture – what we, as members of Andover’s student body, currently care about and discuss the most. A meme made out of something funny that happened on campus the other day; a (not-)ode to upper spring and the emotional rollercoaster of its exhilarating highs and debilitating lows; a reference to the new flimsy cutlery in Commons that looks like metal but feels like plastic. In this way, the expressions of comedy that we engage in are meant to be ways for us to build connections with one another and find solidarity through these shared experiences. The humor is then pointedly constructed by us, for us: it will not necessarily also be funny to faculty, administration, parents, alumni, or anyone else, and nor is it meant to be. Granted, with the natural tendency of comedy to veer towards the side of being infused with jokes surrounding identity or particular experiences in some cases, there will undeniably be certain punchlines or skits that are more provocative and have greater potential for damage if received with the wrong impact despite good intentions. We cannot control how humor plays out in real-time, but we can hold ourselves accountable to ensure that we approach comedy with only the goal of creating warmth and connection among our community and also refrain from targeting specific groups of people with malicious intent. Whether it takes the form of consulting your faculty advisor if it is for an on-campus comedy performance or simply checking the first thing that comes to mind, being humorous means being creative, yes, and responsible too. On the flipside, however, it is also our duty as audience members to take responsibility for protecting ourselves. Given the diversity of Andover’s community, making jokes that have zero risk of offending anyone would be ideal, but unrealistic, especially with jokes that may concern sensitive topics. As such, we must remember that we are young adults who will soon need to navigate the world on our own, and that being self-aware is an essential step in doing so. Part of that includes recognizing the topics and factors that could potentially trigger us, and knowing when we should probably step out of a comedy show just in case. The very point of humor, especially in tight-knit communities such as Andover, is to normalize or bring to light the ideas and observations that make us us, and to find space for joy and laughter even within the challenges and hardships we face. If we remove the controversiality, the exaggeration, the drama, from the comedy that we create, then it loses its place, its color, its magic, leaving us with merely words that no longer serve their purpose.
