For Time to Talk Day 2021 (4 February) Dr Dieter Declercq, an expert in satire, comedy and its effect on mental health at the School of Arts, has commented on how staying connected with our favourite forms of media is beneficial for our mental health, especially during lockdown when face-to-face interaction with others is limited. He said:
‘The ongoing pandemic poses many challenges to our mental health, including accepting our limitations. We all want life to return to some form of normality soon, but apart from following government guidelines we can do very little to change the situation, which can leave many feeling powerless.
‘The pandemic endangers our existential safety and poses an almost unprecedented threat to health and livelihood. If we are fortunate, our lives are currently only frustrating. The world nowadays seems a rather a bleak and alien place. Yet, we should not become existentially disconnected, otherwise our lives will feel absurd – and depression may creep up on us.
‘Fortunately, media and the arts can help us reconnect with the world. Things that can help include watching our favourite TV series, challenging ourselves with a complex video game, or listening to a great album. These experiences can make the world feel meaningful again.
‘Entertainment media is often dismissed as ‘mere escapism’, which distracts from the serious business of life. Yet, when the serious business of life is seriously worrying, we need some distraction to maintain our mental wellbeing. It can also help to keep our minds active.
‘Narrative arts can also help us deal with our limitations. We constantly borrow from stories to make sense of the world around us. In the last year, the media have often framed NHS workers as heroes who battle the monster of Covid-19 – a story structure that comes straight from fairy tales and Hollywood. Yet, the hero narrative is problematic and not appropriate to honour health professionals (or indeed anybody else).
‘Heroes are super-human, but we are not. If you set people unattainable goals, they will burn out, or become consumed by guilt about their perceived failures. We can distance ourselves from the perceived obligation to act as the hero in the story of the pandemic by taking a cue from Don Quixote. The very thought of such misplaced heroism should be enough to conjure an image of ourselves in less-than-shining armour charging toward a windmill. It may not resolve our powerlessness, but it at least raises a smile.’
Dr Dieter Declercq is a Lecturer in Film and Media Studies at the School of Arts. His new book ‘Satire, Comedy and Mental Health’ [Emerald], investigates how satirists use comedy to cope with the depressing sociopolitical world and explores how we can incorporate entertainment and narrative strategies from satire to address mental health challenges in modern life. His investigation reassesses the idea of satire as therapy and challenges the heroic conception of satire as a cure for the ills of the world.
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