As people grapple with the new normal that COVID-19 has given them, many turn to comedy in the form of online memes and jokes as a way to deal with the situation and that is okay.
Now, of course, there is a line to be drawn and sometimes people cross it. For example, joking about an awful, violent crime like a shooting or 9/11 is not something that should be laughed about.
However, the fact that COVID-19 was supposedly started by a guy eating a bat, is completely fair game.
The reality of the situation is that these are tough times that the entire world is trying to push through. A large portion of people will use comedy as a way to help them do so.
During such “trying times,” as everyone keeps referring to them as, it’s good to be light-hearted. If everything was taking 100% seriously at all times, life wouldn’t be enjoyable.
The world needs a little comedy right now.
Overall, no one has the right to tell another person how to deal with tragic situations because they aren’t them; they don’t know what the other person is going through.
Sure, they can see what the person is dealing with; the loss of a family member, a national crisis, a global pandemic. But what one can’t see from the outside are the details of the situation in relation to the other person.
Where someone on the outside might see that another person has passed away, their loved one may think about the love that they had for humor while living and how that’s how they would want to be remembered by.
The whole debate on whether or not making jokes about sad situations is okay comes down to one thing: perspective. One of the only things that no one can take from another person is their own, unique perspective of the situation they’re going through.
We see the situation in front of us: a global pandemic that has taken the lives of many, some strangers, some loved ones.
In the face of this crisis, no one has time to police others on how they feel and how they choose to express that, but everyone has time to be there for one another.
The only fact about this is that it has been hard on most people in the world. Whether it’s because of the money issues caused by the pandemic, the loss of many around them, or just the upset of their daily routine, people have a reason to be upset.
There is no right or wrong way to cope with a difficult situation like this, but there is a right and wrong way to treat others. No matter if you agree with the way they handle this or not doesn’t matter, but what does matter is that everyone is there for one another.
I would say instead of sharing criticism with another person, try sharing a hug but, for the sake of social distancing, maybe try a smile and wave from a distance or perhaps a text to let them know you care.