If the average person were asked what comedy means to them, their mind would likely jump to their favorite late night show host or whatever meme is currently trending on Twitter. Very few would consider a potential relationship between humor and politics, and even less would conceive of humor as a politically substantive form of commentary.
“The Farce Awakens” was created by then-HPR U.S. Section Editors Alan Zhang, Caroline Hao, Ethan Jasny, and Jack Silvers to challenge the notion that humor and politics exist in only separate realms. Rather, our esteemed editors argue that “comedy often pushes the boundaries of what we deem to be politically acceptable, while at the same time endearing us to some of our most prominent political leaders.” From the theatrics of the contemporary political atmosphere to the role of personality in politicians’ political viability, it is clear that comedy affects many of the systems and institutions we exist within. Luckily, with the creation of this magazine “the farce is awakening.”
Within the pages of “The Farce Awakens,” our creators interrogate the role that comedy plays in our political discourse, policymaking, and collective perception of our leaders. Some writers leverage humor to comment on the absurdity of modern politics, while others opt for an analytical framework as they uncover the ways in which comedy permeates the political realm.
Learn more about the creators who made this magazine cycle possible below.
The intro note to “The Farce Awakens” was written by Covers editors Liana McGhee ’25 and Nurayn Khan ’26.
