As the Boov say, “many fingers make up a hand.” Just like this expression, Many components make up effective humor. Adam Rex, the author of the book Smek for President, shows us a perfect example of how not to use them. The tools of humor, such as tone, diction, imagery and more are present, but they don’t make you laugh. Adam Rex, as a “funny author,” leaves much to be desired in his writing.
In early 1900, Patrick “Pat” Chappelle founded The Rabbit’s Foot Company (or, The Rabbit Foot Minstrels) as a roaming, tented minstrel company. Chappelle, equipped with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and notable talent as a banjo guitarist, was to become the figurehead of one of the most successful vaudevillian entities in U.S. history, and, perhaps most importantly, the first exclusively black-owned and operated traveling variety shows in the country. Despite this evolution to “variety show,” The Rabbit’s Foot Company “came forth in the unmistakable form of a minstrel show.” To define, minstrel shows oft manifested as sketch, musical, and variety performances that targeted and mocked black people using blackface and exaggerated stereotypes
The way in which Australian comedy is regarded, understood, or interpreted can dramatically affect the overall consensus of what it may imply. Australian comedy walks the line of this, you either love it, or you hate it. This is evident in the public’s overall positive responses to Chris Lilley’s mini mockumentary series, “Summer Heights High” & “Jonah from Tonga” which portrays Australian comedy as to have the ability to find humour in each other’s flaws, often more shocking and confronting than initially expected. Resulting in a fan base that can relate themselves to characters such as “Jonah Takaluwa” and possibly find comfort and closure, Chris Lilly stated in an interview with The Daily Telegraph “I’ve never had any negative feedback”,” I have all the time come up and claim that they’re Jonah”, “It’s all in context and it’s designed to be shocking and confronting/”
Dave Barry In society today, people are becoming more and more easily offended. A simple joke is often times blown way out of proportion instead of being laughed off and taken as just that. Dave Barry, a comedic essayist, understands that idea, which is why he uses self-deprecating humor to distract the readers from the fact that he is making fun of them. Along with the use of sarcasm and hyperboles, this form of humor is, at times, relatable and allows him to get certain points across without offending his readers.
George Carlin is one of the most renowned comedians of all time, known for his sharp wit, insightful social commentary, and irreverent attitude towards authority. In his stand-up special "Jammin in New York," Carlin delivers a masterful performance that tackles a wide range of topics, from politics and religion to language and culture. Through his incisive humor and provocative insights, Carlin challenges the audience to question their assumptions and think critically about the world around them. One of the key themes of Carlin's performance is his critique of American society and its institutions. He takes aim at politicians, the media, and the education system, arguing that they are all complicit in perpetuating a system of oppression
George Lopez The Comedian George Lopez is an Mexican-American comedian. When he was eleven years old he watched Freddie Prinze perform and instantly knew that he wanted to become a comedian. Now more than 30 years later he is a well know stand-up comedian, and also known for his television and film comedies. George Lopez growing up with Mexican grandparents influenced his comedic take, while his use of personal experiences and repetition make his jokes funny, and the fact the his audience can relate makes him a successful comedian.
The article “South Park and the Carnivalesque” written by Alison Halsall delves into both parody and satire within the context of the program. South Park’s Carnivalesque humor, or carnival laughter “is a method by which popular culture in general, and South Park in particular, provides liberation from constraint” (Halsall 24). South Park makes it a point to use humor that provokes the inherent “dirtiness” that we contain, in an attempt to expose cultural aspects that generally go undiscussed (Halsall 34). Through profanity, South Park brings carnival humor down to the basic grotesque humor that serves to “critique linguistic sanitation” (Halsall 34).
Humor comes in many shapes in sizes, appealing to different ages, genders, time periods, and even different intellect levels. In the 2011 blockbuster hit “Bridesmaids”, there are comical devices used that attract a crowd through low comedy. This implements comedy through vulgar language and jokes, indecency, and exaggeration. Although, this sort of humor may appeal to millions according to the outstanding ratings and exceptional critiques, this does not excite the same reaction to myself as it may to others. “Full of heart, warmth and enough excrement to fill an all-white bridal shop.”
In their essay, “The Coddling of the American Mind”, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathon Haidt express their concern about this movement. They point out how there has been a previous movement similar to this one in that they both seek to restrict speech and broaden diverse-prospective. However, they conclude that, “The current movement is largely about emotional well-being.” and, “…it presumes and extraordinary fragility of the collegiate psyche…” (4). Due to this oversensitivity of college students, some popular comedians have even stopped performing on college campuses.
That’s why Alain de Botton is correct and why their role is as vital as ever. In order to understand humorists and their relationship with society, it’s important to understand their relationship with history. What does the United States, America,
“False” Dwight Schrute, who is he? Dwight (played by Rainn Wilson), is a sale representative at a paper distribution company, Dunder Mifflin on NBC’s The Office. Trying to explain someone like Dwight is complicated, because you must start at the beginning to really understand what kind of person you are dealing with. There are no words that accurately describe and grasp the true complexity of his thoughts and actions, making Dwight one of those instances where actions speak louder than words.
At the beginning of The Good Earth the Wang family lived in a small house in China on their family’s ancestral land. The earth was vital to the Wangs, as they used it, not only to grow crops, but also to build their house, construct an oven, and make water pots, as well as other items. During the 1890s and 1930s, the Wang family experienced famines which forced them to move to the South. When the family returned, they became very prosperous. Being wealthy, they were able to own more land and move into the Great House of Hwang.
One of the most valuable aspects of personality is humor – we value one’s sense of humor and make friends often based on finding certain things funny. But how and why do we consider things to be funny at all? Human beings have strived to uncover fundamental truths about human nature for centuries – even millennia – but humor itself is still yet to be pinpointed. Henri Bergson is only one of many who has attempted this feat, and his essay Laughter: an essay on the meaning of the comic from 1911 breaks down comedy into what he believes to be its essential forms and origins. While Bergson makes many valid points, Charlie Chaplin’s film Modern Times that was brought to screens only twenty years later seems to contradict many of Bergson’s theories, while Bergson seems to contradict even himself over the course of his essay.
All breathing organisms are born with the goal of surviving, and they are all equipped with different abilities helping them succeed. Waves have no exact line on the shore in which they halt, just like standup comedy where there is no line clearly indicating what jokes can and can’t be crafted. With political correctness on the rise, comedians are having to think twice about telling a joke, to keep the longevity of their careers. To learn how political correctness is changing standup comedy, it must have a fixed definition. Writer Stephen Silver has published over 500 articles for the entertainment site Screen Rant; furthermore, they’ve been viewed over three million times.
Many audiences of stand up comedy enjoy hearing their favorite comedian entertain them. But what would one think when a comedian cracks a joke about a sensitive topic, for example, a tragedy that affected hundreds of people. Some may argue that, comedians are not supposed to overstep the boundary of controversial jokes. These controversial jokes are linked with political correctness—which is used to describe language, policies, and measures that are taken to avoid offense to certain groups of people. Comedians are not compelled to restrain from controversial topics due to the topic not being sugar-coated, the higher level of contemplation that the joke can reach, and the job of the comedian—to make the current issue manageable.
