It's often said that there's truth to be found in humor.  That's why many of us find ourselves laughing but wondering when someone makes a joke on our account if there's a grain of truth in what they are saying. 

This week at SXSW, a key note speaker was Baratunde Thurston, the digital editor of the onions, said that  "sometimes, comedy is no laughing matter."  And he goes on to make some powerful points about the use of comedy in truly showing the truth about a situation. He pointed out the comical account, yet powerful message of sensorship, when they did a video of people all over the world watching something on T.V. and the Iranian government officials scouring roof and dismanteling satelights to prevent their people to see the same show.  Although it was done in a way to make you laugh, it's message of "how powerful truly is your govenment if they have to go to this level to make you follow them" isn't lost.  Most powerful was his thought on all the information and the sources in which we hear our messages:

"With all this noise and confusion, we look to institutions for trust and they often come up short," he said. " Government is trying to shut it down. Religion -- missing in action. Your parents are awkwardly texting you. And the media is busy talking about the state of the media.

"So, who's left? You've got comics, willing to speak truth to the youth and beyond."

See the full story here.

What are your thoughts on this...do you think that humor helps people who wouldn't normally hear or be receptive to a message open to it? Is humor a great way to drive a point home?