Humorists In Alain De Botton's Status Anxiety

In Status Anxiety, author de Botton correctly claims that humorists are expected to not only entertain their audience, but to make statements about controversial events that may be too sensitive to say directly and causally present them in a way that is easy for the public to understand. This is demonstrated through various forms of media such as television shows and political cartoons.

Humor is our way of expressing our opinions and thoughts, in a way that lets us see the gravity of the situation but in a less complex, serious tone. In the book Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton, believes that Humor is vital to Society, due to it allowing “humorist to say things that other people cannot or will not say”. Button is right in believing that Humor is vital to society. It allows for other people to feel more comfortable expressing their own opinions without it turning into a serious discussion. Humor as found itself in political cartoons, Stand-up comedy like comedian Gabriel Iglesias, and TV shows like Saturday Night Live.

Originating in the 19th century, political cartoons are created and drawn as a means to deliver a message. Whether it be about politics, events or social concerns, the artist is able to express themselves creatively. The cartoons are not only meant to express the view of the creator, but are also open to interpretation. Most political cartoons have a biased point of view and uses rhetoric to persuade its audience.

Satire is a literary technique that uses humor to emphasize a certain point, usually by over exaggerating its flaws. It is extremely effective because it approaches the topic in a seemingly light hearted manner, but portrays a deeper, more powerful message when thoroughly understood. In today’s culture, the media is flooded with various types of satire, irony, and sarcasm that efficiently conveys their ideas. For example, there are many political cartoons today of President Donald Trump. Pictures may over exaggerate certain features such as his bright yellow hair and orange-ish facial color in order to criticize him and express their disapproval.

Originating in the 19th century, political cartoons are created and drawn as a means to deliver a message. Whether it be about politics, events or social concerns, the artist is able to express themselves creatively. The cartoons are not only meant to express the view of the creator but are also open to interpretation. Most political cartoons have a biased point of view and uses rhetoric to persuade its audience.

Throughout time, humorists have been able to pull off a phenomenon, which allows for others to laugh about sensitive, stressful topics. With talent, humorists are able to captivate positive emotion from their audience and allow for society to see delicate issues in an unbiased view. Although humorists are commonly seen as people who only intend to entertain, humorists purposefully say things through their work that allow for hard issues to be spoken or illustrated.

Truth is often hidden behind many of the jokes and comments made by comedians and humorists that make people laugh today. It is the reason why the joke holds ground in respect to having a humorous tone and nature; these comedians frequently call upon many social and political issues of the time. In Alain de Botton’s book, Status Anxiety, she argues that the role of humorists today is to convey “messages” that could not easily be said elsewhere. Giving humorists a sense of impunity with their work that is vital to society. Botton was right to state that humorists are vital to society and carry out their work with impunity, yet not all of them should be regarded as highly as many of them cause more problems than intended.

Political and social satire go hand in hand in showing examples of the past and the future. While social satire mainly focus on the current problems of society, political satire can represent a warning about the future. Both types are important to learn and understand when reading works involving satire. Putting a light on satire will help people understand satire better. Educating students about satire in schools starting at a young age will allow for students to grow up with a better understanding of satire. Satire can play such an important role in novels that it is essential that everyone understands the concept. Understanding satire will allow for people to see different viewpoints of today’s society through the authors’ eyes. Satire can add humor to a piece, yet that humor can be revealing something much different. It is important for people to be able to differentiate from the two. People first need to understand satire to see the historical importance of it or understand the hidden warning it can

Cartoons have been a prominent and interesting apparatus for politics throughout the ages. Political movements, parties, and groups using propaganda to further their beliefs dates back to the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Though America faces an austere history, lighthearted propaganda colors its decades and gives them life. Political cartoons are so widely used in America that they have become a significant piece of pop culture. Moreover, because of their ability to capture the reader’s attention, propaganda is exploited throughout politics.The cartoons are wonders of the human imagination; illustrators create comical images and intertwine profound political opinions to influence their viewer’s mind. For example, one movement that abundantly grew from propaganda was the women’s rights movement. The artists of the seemingly despised cause drew controversial cartoons that set a fire in the hearts of women all over the world. Consequently, the same cartoons ignited a passionate war between women who wanted freedom, and those who believed that women could not handle that freedom. Through the use of colorful concepts and daring expressions, political cartoons display the influence of the women’s rights movement throughout history, while the cartoons of Anti-Feminists demonstrates the world’s reaction to the movement.

Everyone has looked at a political cartoon, and had a laugh. However, have you really analyzed what the cartoon is saying to you? What is it that the cartoonist wants you to know? Political cartoons are visuals that comment on political events or issues while possibly making you laugh. Marty Bucella’s political cartoon gives you a vivid detailed look at caricatures, and analyzes student teacher relationships and how a boy is not doing so well in school.

Satire is constantly evolving in order to maintain with the times. As technology, culture and humanity change and grow, satire is forced to grow with it. Satire of our modern time is more likely to be found on our phones than on print, more likely on a television than a telegram. By merging with pop culture, in forms of Family Guy and Comedy Central news shows, these forms of satire are able to stay relevant. But, despite the change in medium, the purpose of satire and effect of satire holds true. Modern satire, just as that of past satire, sheds light on the problems of our society through ridicule and mockery, without reinforcing and further cementing the stereotypes and prejudices they are trying to expose.

Alain de Botton states that humorists is not only to entertain its readers, but to convey a deeper meaning that is “dangerous or impossible to state directly…. which serves a vital function in society”. Alain de Botton is right! Humor is an important part of society because it freely brings light to topics that are often ignored in society.

Section 2: Satirical News and Derogatory Message Processing Satire is a distinguishable form of comedy, often marked by its disparaging nature. More often than not, a satirist will target a particular person, event, or idea and seek to degrade the subject through comedy. With the combination of politics and satire, the most common target is a politician or a policy. As (Hmielowski, Holbert and Lee) pointed out in his 2011 paper, an audience member may feel an “affinity for political humor” because of some common features and effects of the genre.

To sway opinions or target certain audiences, authors often use written humor as a means to convey their argument. Artists and designers behind visual statements such as magazine advertisements or posters frequently use the same method. Political cartoons are a popular way of expressing opinions about current events and dissatisfaction with governing officials. The ever growing abortion debate is the subject of Jim McCloskey’s cartoon making fun of pro-choice activists, and Mike Luckovich’s cartoon mocking pro-life advocates’ views. While McCloskey relies heavily on emotional appeal, and Luckovich uses strong exaggeration, both

Humor and satire is an entertaining and extremely effective method for highlighting social ideologies, challenging a governmental system or an organization, exposing injustice, and encouraging positive change in perspective. In his book, Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton asserts that humorists are a vital part of society as they are always successful in communicating, conveying, and delivering their message or idea to the public and the community. Humorists and satirists have demonstrated their vital role in inspiring freedom of speech and thought, which motivates progressive changes, in political election campaigns hosted on TV almost daily, and in Mark Twain’s satire of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.