Big Tree Humor

Maybe there IS something funny about peace, love, and understanding…

A cartoonist analyzes the role of positivity in comics and humor

I was recently pointed to a subreddit called Wholesome Memes that only allows feel-good posts. It got me thinking about the power of positivity in making things funny. I typically focus on the areas of life that are riddled with tension and conflict. My temperament naturally points me in this direction, but these are also the typical staples of humor and humorists. Admittedly, a lot of the memes on this subreddit aren’t funny, and aren’t trying to be. But what I realized in posting here is that moving toward the “feel-good,” when I can, creates a better substrate on which to hang a gag.

Laughter feels good. That’s the point. It’s often (always?)a momentary release from the tensions we’re constantly dealing with. When the underlying situation in the comic is positive, it only furthers the release.

Here are a couple of examples that I just finished.

There is often a touch of tension around the ritual of getting and decorating the tree each year. I could have exploited this with a caption like “See, I told you it would fit,” or something else that pitted the couple against each other. But why add the…