COMEDY?

Comedy is perhaps the most fascinating social tool we have, one that is integral to the human condition. Through comedy, we not only entertain ourselves but can see things from other perspectives, and expose ourselves to our failings and the failings of others while laughing. Comedy is also an important sociological and psychological tool to create compliance in a group. Some have taken it a little too far. By that, I mean comedy being used to push certain agendas and talking points. This is even more dangerous than normal propaganda because one thing comedy does is psychologically disarm us from applying our standard anti-propaganda tactics and even risk being the “buzz kill” in the room. Let me elaborate.  As usual, I will be taking two examples of two sides of the American political spectrum; while I do not subscribe to either, it is important to be aware of what both sides are doing.

Louder with Crowder: I think this entire show is an example of using comedy to push an ideology. With that being said, we must appreciate that they do their research, and a lot of times if you investigate their sources, you will find that they are accurate. With that said, at times giving news with the combination of comedy is what all such shows used to be; but now they are more like political advertisements, calling you to vote differently or to call your representatives, etc. This is the board of propaganda territory; there is one famous example from this show which became a meme to this day. But on its own, is a great publicity stunt. A desk setup at a campus where he says, “Male Privilege is Myth, Change My Mind.” On its own, this could be a whole show. Person A goes to a place where Statement X is accepted truth and sets a desk and debates people who want to change his mind, but we all know that is not the point and never was. That is why humor is such a successful political tool. The ethics are completely up to the person but I think nothing was explicitly wrong with it.

Stand Your Ground: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: I think this show generally does justice to its topic. What does concern me, however, is the ending of this one. The call to action in this or any show meant to be entertaining should never cross the line into requesting action but should stop at informing people and let them draw their conclusions; most importantly, encourage them to do their research. A while back, I wrote that the best weapon against propaganda is awareness and this is the counter weapon in the propaganda war, to disarm the targets of propaganda.  Now do I think John Oliver and his team were fully intending to indoctrinate people? No! But do I think he often projects his personal beliefs and the whole ideological package to his audience? Yes! While the intention is not there, one day, and that day seems to be coming faster and faster, when both ideological extremes will no longer accept compromise, we can see that shift.   The only thing that we, as the people, are to be aware, of and not to let ourselves be manipulated by such methods when it becomes visible in full force.