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One of the comments on my post on conservative comedy made an argument that I’ve seen a lot: “Someone (can’t remember who) said that comedy is about kicking up, not kicking down. Republicans kick down. It’s not funny.” I generally see it referred to as punching up, rather than punching down (I think my reader … Continue reading Punching Down Is A Matter Of Perspective
An oft-made observation is that comedy in the United States tends to be overwhelmingly liberal in its politics. Despite the existence of a small number of Republican funny men and women (and most of those are more in the Libertarian bent anyway, e.g. Adam Carolla, Larry Miller, Vince Vaughn), there is no conservative equivalent of … Continue reading Conservative Comedy
I try (not always successfully) to avoid politics. As a young Michael Jordan once noted after being asked to endorse a Democratic candidate, “Republicans buy shoes too.” But one thing I have noted is is the liberal (in the US political sense, not the classical “The Economist” sense) tendencies of most comedians and humorists. Frank … Continue reading Want To Make Political Humor That’s Funny? Target Self-Importance And Hypocrisy.
One of the most interesting insights I’ve read in a while comes in this Grantland celebration of the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which points out that the show is simultaneously conservative and liberal: Conservatives — think in Jonathan Haidt–ish terms here — value tradition, authority, and group identity; liberals value tolerance, … Continue reading Star Trek: TNG: Liberal or Conservative?