In a World Beset by Pandemic and Strife, Comedy Can Help

Published: Aug. 14, 2020, 10 a.m.

b'Why comedy, and why now? That\'s the question that media and social change scholar Caty Borum Chattoo poses at the outset of her book, "A Comedian and An Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice." In it she and co-author Lauren Feldman explore how comedy -- by laying bare freighted issues like racism, sexism and inequality -- can help us work toward bridging divides and achieving social change. We\'ll talk about how comedy helps us make sense of a world turned chaotic by the pandemic and a deeply divisive government, and we want to hear from you: which comedians do you turn to these days, and why?'