Parks and Recreation Isn't Just Fun and Games

When I think of a comedy, I think of Parks and Recreation. I think the fact that it is a series adds to the development of characters and values so the underlying meanings can sink in over time. Leslie Knope starts off as an employee in the parks department and ends up working her way up to city council woman and eventually runs for governor of Pawnee, Indiana. Her rise did not come without numerous lessons, sometimes subtle and sometimes blatantly obvious.  Also, the wide array of characters and personalities worked to highlight the endless absurdities of human actions.

One of the characters, Jerry, is always being brutally made fun of by everyone in the office. The attacks are often cringe worthy for the audience while the actors seem unaffected by the relentless ridicule. But then the irony kicks in. We find out that Jerry has a beautiful wife and three beautiful daughters. He is so incredibly content with his life that the constant stream of jokes bounces right off. Jerry's unwavering happiness make it incredibly clear to the audience that one's priorities should lie in finding a happy life and having a family you love.

I personally think that comedies are more effective than tragedies in most cases. People often feel uncomfortable when confronted with serious issues in ways that are overwhelmingly terrible. In many cases that causes people to shut down or shy away from the real problem. But when people are able to laugh about the ridiculousness of human faults, I think it paints a clearer message. By making important serious messages more approachable, I believe they will reach more people effectively. While many of our comedies today don't seem to have any purpose besides making people laugh, A well written satire or comedy can be shockingly effective. At least I personally feel like I became a better person from watching the comedy in Parks and Recreation unfold.