We are currently living in a time of extreme political tension, and while most things look bleak, there is one group of people who know how to turn these ugly events into hilarious, lighthearted jokes. These people are none other than political comedians. However, there is a controversy that lies in their intended purpose: is their humor about political and worldly subjects harmful, or do they help break free from the drama of our everyday lives through highlighting important issues?

I believe that these comedians’ humor is helpful and not harmful. So often, people and groups, like SNL or the Daily Show, get a bad rep for their jokes and humor. Some people seem to not realize the power in entertaining somebody and at the same time emphasizing worldly events and people. Trevor Noah, the host for the Daily Show, said in a recent interview with some University of Michigan students, “My comedy stems from real-life events and people. I might slightly warp or exaggerate certain things for humor’s sake, but the seed still comes from real-life happenings.” Noah puts the essence of political humor succinctly. It’s not a replacement for whatever daily news program you watch; it’s a humorous relief for life’s daily chaos.

In contrast, people who are anti-political comedy would bring up the fact that political humor is either downplaying or exaggerating the events or people that are the focus of the humor. However, in my opinion, political humor is not what people think it is. It does not downplay important events. As Noah puts it, all comedians do is adjust the real-world events into a perspective that they know the audience will find highly entertaining.

I will say, however, that there are disadvantages to political humor. Among them is the fact we can become numb to the atrocities and scandals because of how often they are turned into funny jokes. That doesn’t mean you can’t gain something, besides a good laugh, from political comedy. By making up a persona in a skit, or joking about the rashness or prejudice displayed by some of our government officials, these comedians are simply allowing us as viewers to see these issues in a different light, and showing us that these issues need to be addressed.

So whether the comedy is based on race, our economy, or militias running wild, these comedians know how to take the stressful events going on around us and turn them into a unique but humorous point of view.