COVID-19 isn't funny. But making fun of dangerous and stupid political and public responses is important

If there ever was an issue that seemed to defy comedy, it is the new coronavirus. I mean, if we were to make a list of off-limit topics for jokes, certainly a contemporary global pandemic would make the list. There is a huge difference, though, between making fun of the virus and making fun of ridiculous responses to it. The pandemic itself might be deadly serious; but many responses to it deserve a great deal of mockery, and that has been especially true for the those coming from the Trump administration.

Corona comedy goes well beyond poking fun at coronavirus-inspired blunders, like Trump suggesting COVID-19 is the same as the flu and that fears over his administration's response are "fake news." Comedians have lobbed jokes at bizarre reactions, like downplaying or dismissing the severity of the virus and the ease with which it spreads. In one hilarious example, sketch comedian Gus Johnson mocked young people who aren't taking the virus seriously and are still going out to parties in a YouTube video seen 1.75 million times.

Much corona comedy takes specific aim at Trump World, which generally has alternated between not taking it seriously, claiming victory for overcoming it, and making things up about it. When Trump ally Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) suggested that now is a great time for folk to go out since restaurants are going to be less crowded, he offered comedians an easy mark for mockery.

In fact, the response from the Trump camp has been so absurd that it has been comedians, especially satirical ones, who have done the best job of highlighting how bizarre, reckless and inconsistent they have been. Even when the mainstream news media critiques the Trump team response, it does so while taking him seriously.

For example, Trump boasted on March 6 during a tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where he and the press met with doctors and scientists working feverishly to determine the best ways to combat the deadly virus: "I like this stuff.  I really get it.  People are surprised that I understand it.… Maybe I have a natural ability.  Maybe I should have done that instead of running for President."

The absolutely mind-boggling comment led most mainstream news outlets to point out that Trump's comments were both egotistical and incorrect. All true. But not enough.

What comedy offers, and what the public needs most, is to be reminded of how deeply ironic Trump's actions have been. It is ironic that a man elected to lead is incapable of leadership. It is ironic that Trump dismissed the severity of the virus only to then liken it to a war he was going to win. The baseline situational irony that has governed the entire Trump administration can only be countered by the sort of critical irony found in comedic satire.

In fact, satire like that of Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers or John Oliver uses its own ironic, comedic critique to illuminate the complex ways that the Trump response to the virus has been a combination of hubris, stupidity, ineptitude, distraction and disaster. It's a thorny mess to attempt to underscore the ways that these different responses intersect and complement each other, but satire has the benefit of being able to call out BS, make fun of stupidity, and chastise politicians in ways the traditional news can't.

But corona comedy goes even further than simply pointing to the folly, farce, and failures of official responses like those of the Trump team. Where it really shines is in the ways that it displays the very leadership, logic, clarity and calm the public requires in a time of crisis. Ever since the election of Donald Trump, satirical comedians in America have increasingly moved from simply critiquing the failures of politicians and institutions to fighting to support and defend the very system they typically mock. From Stephen Colbert arguing for why Trump should be impeached to Seth Meyers scolding Trump on what it means to be a president to Jimmy Kimmel explaining the merits of socialized medicine, we have had countless examples of comedians acting as moral leaders in the age of Trump.

The severity of the coronavirus pandemic has only taken these actions to a new level. Now our comedians are not just using ironic comedy to help bring clarity to the crisis; they are also showing the leadership our administration sorely lacks.

Taking the impact of the virus seriously has meant that a number of shows have decided to tape without audiences or even suspend taping altogether. Colbert has been remotely taping from his home, and we can expect that a number of comedians will find equally creative ways to reach their audiences. But even with these disruptions, there have still been highlights in the ways that comedians have covered this story. Here are a few:

Samantha Bee points out that racism won't save us from COVID-19

On March 11, Bee taped "Full Frontal" for TBS without a live audience. In her opening bit, she covered a number of critical issues. She reminded viewers that there still was an election going on, even if CNN seemed to be having trouble covering it, and she pointed out a number of the Trump administration's blatant lies and deliberate acts of disinformation. But the real focus of her segment was on the way that the coronavirus pandemic was leading to an increase in anti-Asian racism in the United States. "I know, I know," she said. "Racism is like America's weighted blanket. When everything is stressful, nothing makes us feel more secure than treating other people like trash."