Humor en tiempos difíciles: teorías, funciones, memes y pandemia

Abstract

Humor is generally considered beneficial according to theories, roles, and authors, but what about its specific and particular use in times of trauma or disasters, even as part of resilience? Memes are presented as something funny, but how are they actually used in times of crisis and disasters? What perspectives do they hold and express, and how do they impact society? This article provides answers to these questions. First, through a brief theoretical and documentary review on the topic, theories, styles, and functions of humor in general and memes specifically. Second, through a selection of their use during the pandemic, focusing on some historical moments, particularly the beginning and end of it, its origin in China, and its conclusion with one of the South African variants. Specifically, it presents how the pandemic was received in Mexico through memes, the parade of strains, some confusion among them, and how the last famous one also ended up passing through the country. As a result, it can be said that humor is beneficial even in adverse times and that memes were present at different moments of the pandemic with a humorous note, and sometimes even hopeful or at least refreshing.