Status Anxiety: A Humorist Analysis

The author compares the traditional political prank of “the Rhinoceros Party of Canada” to the present day of Calvert’s online hit. The comparison allows the reader to infer that the accessibility of the internet has allowed political satire to grow rapidly, as uploading a video online takes minimal effort in contrast to assembling an illegitimate political party. Despite their distinct techniques on representing their political ideologies, humor entitles the public to think about mainstream politics through their individual

“Theories of humor often suggest that humor requires a perceived violation, or something that disrupts people’s sense of how the world ought to be” (McGraw and Warren 2010).

As seen in the Chappelle’s show, it was shown that the stereotypes that the media portrays, can actually have a lasting effect on America’s multitude of sub cultures. The Chappelle’s Show was a comedy skit show created by Dave Chappelle. In the show, Chappelle would play out events and real life stories of black members of society in a comedic

Humor is an integral part of our everyday lives providing us with laughter, enjoyment, relaxation and a sense of relief. Today, humor and laughter are universally accepted; however, not all humor is treated equally, leaving room for interpretation of what is funny. Early theories and beliefs about humor suggest that humor was cruel and was at the expense of another human being. However, early beliefs could not explain all forms of humor and why humor occurs in many contexts.

Humour, though less ruthless than its cousin ‘ridicule’, by its very nature (often subtle and deceptively benign) can unintentionally backfire if too ‘close to the bone’.

He asserts that these difficult topics, the ones that most people veer away from because it induces an uncomfortably they are unable to cope with, can be used as tools in comedy to help others see corruption or unfairness, or to address the fact of the embarrassing differences we feel that we have and it makes us feel connected, and not so alone. But, when our expression of these ideas is monitored, is it really, true expression? Censorship plagues the comedy industry. “Celestino starts this well-organized analysis of how comedy has reached the stage that folks with unduly sensitive natures regarding some topics are ruining it for the rest of us with a discussion of vaudeville and early films” (Nelson). Celestino mentions the top three comedians of all time listed as George Carlin, Richard

During this unit, my understanding of humor in literature evolved from believing that it was simply comic relief to grasping that humor is an entertaining method of conveying a universal truth through many different methods. Comedy comes in countless shapes and sizes, which all have different purposes and appeal to a variety of audiences. However, although the forms of humor are diverse, Springboard Activity 4.3 expresses that they can be categorized as either low comedy, which is "straightforward and generally easy to follow and understand"(1) or high comedy, which "can take a bit of reflection to realize the humorous intent"(4). Naturally, high and low comedy have different purposes in comedic literature. An author might use high comedy to

Through the years many politicians had objected political entertainment and satire, and argued it is subversive. Satire usually differs from political protest and speech because it does not carry an agenda or seek to influence politics. I would like to introduce two cases in which politicians took a strong resistance to satire on television:

Furthermore, this behavior, exploiting and teasing others, only provokes and places both the satirist and innocent people in harm’s way, as encountered in France. The fact of the matter is, we live in a world consisting of , whom are willing to inflict pain and death upon others to force others to respect their

Stuart Jeffries wrote an article entitled, “The Science of Comedy: can humour make the world a better place?” In this article, he discusses how “Thinking about comedy is becoming a big academic industry” and this is true, it is also important. The founder of the Centre for Comedy Studies Research, Dr. Sharon Lockyer, studies how comedy can be socially beneficial. She says, “The media fixates on comedy controversies where comedy has been deemed to be problematic or offensive”. Much of comedy seems to be at the expense of someone else, but not all comedy has to be that way.

This paper will focus on American and western humor which is a broad range filled with many types of jokes, humorous situations and satire. My basic argument will be that the average American will be more prone to engage in the morally problematic humor that Morreall describes. The basis of my argument is founded on several principles: most Americans are stupid, and finally most Americans are selfish. These statements are critical assessments based on observation and will need to be assumed as truth to understand the distinction I will later make between comedians and everyday Americans. While some may dispute the ‘stupid’ label and claim that it stems from an elitist academic ideology, I believe that there is overwhelming evidence of this

Society is a labyrinth of flaws, where limitations and failings obscure behind walls and individuals struggle to escape. In society today where mistakes are locked behind passwords, and imperfections are easily concealed with Photoshop, satire provides a clear reflection of the truth, and essentially the flaws. Satire, as an instrument of humour exposes and criticises the flaws of society and intends to raise awareness of issues and improve humanity. However, the abundance of pride and vanity in society discourages the acceptance of imperfections.

Although not recognized easily, humor is an effective tool that can influence the society. As Alain de Botton argues in his book Status Anxiety, humorists serve a vital function in that they satirize the social problems without offending any particular groups. They identify the troubles, exaggerate through humor, and effectively deliver the messages they have intended. The position of humorists can be recognized simply through media that people encounter everyday. Dave Barry’s The Ugly Truth about Beauty and Jon Stewart on The Daily Show reveals how humorists' indirect criticisms through wit can change the world by acknowledging people about the problems that are embedded in themselves.

We both researched for a suitable academic piece of disgusting in the seminar on the topic of satire. The “limits of satire” was the academic piece we selected to build our seminar discussion around. We gave the seminar the title of “ Satire does it help the audience engage with social issues or is it a bit of fun” with the aim to trigger a meaningful and balanced discussion about satire been a form of protest delivered via creative media methods.

How can comedy be employed to make serious critiques of societies? Is it an effective method of highlighting serious issues? Answer in relation to Peepli Live.