Should Comedy Be Part of the Social Innovator's Story-Telling Repertoire?

I am a prodigious follower of YouTube cultural memes. I've always been fascinated to see how pop culture - and particularly satire - reflects ground-level sentiment. As the prominence of Colbert and Stewart has shown, the clearest "truth" is often that which slips past the censors in the form of comedy.

Easily the most clever, creative and down-right fun thing happening on YouTube right now are the Gregory Brothers' musical renditions of current political events. The musical family began creating song and dance highlights during last year's presidential debates that were not only catchy as hell, but also often cut through it all to ask the questions that were really on our minds. My favorite was their "Nashville Debate in Song and Dance":

"We in a war thats never ending
Does anybody have a plan?
For Iraq and Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
So many "stans," I dont understand
Tell me, whos gonna work it out, baby?
Whos gonna work it out?..

Now the world is gettin hotter
Because of crazy sh* we did
How we ever gonna turn it back around
So theres something left for my grandkids?
Tell me, whos gonna work it out, baby?
Whos gonna work it out?"

Doesn't get much clearer than that.

More recently, they've turned their attention to making the news more interesting. For the past month, they've been remixing the news using the "auto tune" effect so effectively employed by hip-hop musicians like T-Pain. The hilarious songs have been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, Jay Leno, and a number of other major media outlets. My favorite is "Auto Tune the News #2: pirates. drugs. gay marriage.":

And in case you thought they were only about making fun of things, check out this auto-tuned version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have A Dream" speech. I can't help but think that MLK would appreciate the beautiful celebration of his words.

So what's the point? Why is this on a social entrepreneurship blog? Well, first, as I wrote the other day, I think that this is all about joy. Even as we pursue social change and social justice, remembering that what we seek to provide is the means through which people can fully love themselves, their communities, and the lives they're given is essential. Comedy, satire, music, and fun all matter.

Second, for a variety of reasons - some good, and some probably not so good - "comedy" is not considered in the reasonable repertoire for how we, as people seeking to change the world, spread our message. In some ways, this is ironic. Humor is one of our most deeply embedded and healthy coping mechanisms. Traveling through places like Bosnia, Israel and the West Bank, and Rwanda, one of the most common elements groups who have experienced violence is an incredibly deep humor. Little is as fundamentally human and connecting as a deep laugh, and it seems to me that's worth thinking about.