Does political humor desensitize us to what's really going on?

I personally like political humor but when I see things like this onion article here (www.theonion.com...) about mocking something that I have been passionate about and something that I feel is a really big deal I get kind of peeved off. That article and things like this one comic (xkcd.com...) kind of peeve me off since I really don't feel like they're taking things as serious as they should.

Like first of all there is political humor like this on the internet level, and we're all able to see who the crazy people are and who the fear mongers are... but when you mock people with real pressing concerns like about the constitution and about the rule of law and authoritarianism it doesn't seem right. With me I don't agree with the Tea Party on many issues... I'll agree with them that I don't like my government to be too authoritarian... and I don't like it when the government enriches the bankers and the corporatist elite... but like then when you have all these people making fun of the Tea Party I feel that they're doing it for all the wrong reasons.

They're mocking them for their alarmist attitudes and in doing so they're mocking them for their real concerns and they're making it more of a deal about if you're a tea-partier you're a nutty person, or like not only that but if you share some of these concerns you're somehow a doomsday kind of person and you believe in the end of times and you must be a religious nut.

I also don't like these comics about BP or the banks and people just dismissing them as super villains. People might like to look back at the time our economy started to collapse, the problem was with the banks and our current credit system! These banks were and are still holding money from us. I don't think it's right to simply just make fun of what goes on now. I don't like how all of these media outlets are making fun of what happened. People shouldn't be alarmist about these sorts of things but at the same time they shouldn't act like nothing happened.

I was just thinking about this. I've been watching Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert quite a lot. I kind of really liked it at first... and every now and then I need that humor but I feel that it's just kind of wrong to mock people with real pressing concerns. You can mock the alarmists and I like what Stephen Colbert is doing... but like with Jon Stewart, mocking a bunch of people who want limited government and calling them insane doesn't seem right to me. Mocking people who are concerned about where the country isn't right. Our country was founded by people who didn't trust their government. So it is silly to mock people in my view who don't trust their governments.

Does political humor desensitize us or not? I think it does. But maybe that's my own experience with dealing with particular political humor. I also find that various comics making fun of ideologies (like one making fun of statism or making fun of anti-authoritarians) really don't help contribute to debates and these comics that make fun of ideologies are frequently referenced to when you're in a discussion online... as if that one comic represents all of those views. Does anyone see what I'm saying or getting at? What are your thoughts?

Hi everyone

To the OP, I only really read the headline but I think I get the point, there is a world of difference between stuff like Bill Hicks and in the UK Mark Thomas who are both excellent but for various reasons not doing much at the moment. Hicks got it totally right but the guys now are corporate shills, the rightious indignation dollar is running strong in the Onion, Jon Steward and Olberlman, they take a shot at the comedy and making a point but they are beholden to $$$.

So your answer is yes and no, yes to proper political comedy and no to what is served up in the MSM. For example I know Mark Thomas wanted to push the envelop further but his bosses would not allow it so he wrote a book about corporatism instead, Hicks said he would not vote for Bush not because he would raise taxes but because he was guilty for his part in an administration that committed war crimes - see the difference between this and Olberman although Olberman does go in strong, bless.

But interestingly what you might not realize is you have not defined the phrase 'really going on' because until recently I would mention ideas like how the military industrial political media complex controls us, but I think there is much more which is stopping our awakening as people, namely people do not think enlightenment is possible but that is off-topic, hope others give different views.

Peace

PS If your answer is yes, no, maybe or some combination what does it add? What will you OP when your question is answered?

reply to post by Frankidealist35


"Why so serious?" I always loved that from Heath Ledger in Batman Dark Knight. Perception is the answer. For some they see the glass half full, some see it as half empty, I see it as a waste if it is just going to sit there to be debated over! People will laugh at what they believe is not within their control if a good humorist adds a twist to the outcome or a disguised jab that happens to be what the person would like to see. A cartoon I saw recently, for instance: Obama's wife, looking really porked, is standing in front of a mirror with the Mr. Mrs. says that the mirror makes her look fat and Obama says that he will change all the mirrors in the White House while a seamstress is clipping out HUGE from the dress to sew in petite. I found both the humor and the logic behind the political attack. My friends could not see it. It screams "Obama, you are changing the wrong things!"

People find humor in what they wish for, what they want, what they aspire to. Perception is 99% of human thought. Treasure to one is garbage to another. Deal with it.

Desensitizing? No. People are already desensitized and strangers to one another and have no clue about the issues. Most don't even care. The few that do care will snicker at the political humor that he or she can relate to and will be offended at the attempts of humor that he or she does not understand.

Instead of getting worked up over a misdemeanor, I categorize..HaHa; Don't get it; Low blow but funny; and finally; low blow shame on you. Why so serious over a joker's attempt to make some people smile? There are many more areas you could direct you stress to.

reply to post by peggy m


I agree.. Humor is everywhere, anyways.. I think it actually helps, especially with people Like Stewart and Colbert, because in our fast paced world, people can get in their half hour of funny and half hour of news in the same half hour.. And, they are still shills but nothing compared to MSM

reply to post by yyyyyyyyyy


That's kind of where I stand. I believe that people who are proper comedians can be when people say the truth and make fun of the world to get you to think about things that you usually don't think about. Like I'll like South Park... when it makes fun of everything but it presents things accurately, I just don't like it when comedians mock things and mock the people and the issues and don't try to say anything about what's going on.

reply to post by peggy m



Again, my problem is not with comedians in general. It's more of the comedians that try to get people to think less about what's really going on... and act like what's going on is no big deal and the ones who promote apathy. Do you kind of see what I'm saying?