Comedy+Debate

Ariel Siegel Debate Paper #2

Comedy Enhancement on Literacy 10/18/11 2055

**Does comedy news enhance political and environmental literacy?**

The world is cluttered with information some of which is adulterated, others which are made on the premise for the betterment of the future. Some people watch the news at night others watch it in the morning with their cup of coffee, however comedy news or shows have created a conundrum with respect to the information business and its legitimacy as well as political and environmental literacy. The way in which we receive and absorb information has evolved to be much more pleasant than news programs which tend to get depressing. Yet comedians and their audiences comprehend political and environmental topics that are influencing our perception and understanding of these issues. With comedians such as John Stewart, George Carlin, the Yes Men, and Stephen Colbert the political and environmental literacy are shaped around entertainment and comedy. Whether it enhances the literacy or corrupts the understanding of these issues, comedy presents the public with a battle, a battle of wits. The entertainment industry has transformed into creating laughter and humor out of serious issues such as the war in Iraq. In order to address the main issue of this controversy, investigation of the matrix elements need to be included, such as technology which have made this manipulation of reality, exploitation, role of corporations, as well as the mentality of change and hope. These elements form the questionable issue that results from the entertainment business and its role in politics.

Without the influence of the media and information outlets, changes in the action of these corrupt corporations molding the world with problem on top of problem. Individual action can only go so far, however some have more power and therefore more influence. Comedians have become an important aspect to the entertainment industry as well as educators to the public. John Stewart emerged onto the //Daily Show// in 1999, since then terrorism, war, and the crashing economy has electrified politics. In 2000, Stewart launched a program covering the presidential campaign which generated much public attention. Some journalists disagree with Stewart's methods of media information however still see the underlying importance; as stated by Brian Williams,“He's a necessary branch of government.” (Smith, 2010). Comedians serve as a political figure of inspiration and hope, and appeal to the Average Joe. Stewart does not attempt to use large confusing words, but instead stray away from professionalism and use vulgarity to enhance the message. They still shed some light on dark situations providing hope and a hero to look up to. As stated by John Stewart:

Even if you’re eating delicious chocolate cake, there are moments you feel like, ‘I’ve had too much,’ Now replace ‘chocolate cake’ with ‘shit taco’ and you know what our day is like every day. But this is not a fragile country. I’m not suggesting we couldn’t find ourselves in deep conflict... This too shall pass. (Smith.2010)

Other methods have been used by individuals such as the Yes Men, who resort to exploitation in order to get invited to conferences and live news broadcasts. News channels play into the role of this type of media, for in the case of the Yes Men, news corporations have been deceived by these pretenders. However their form of comedy or “cultural jamming” aims to 'bring the people into consciousness' (Hynes, 2007). In Hynes' article in// Continuum: Joural of Media and Cultural Studies //, the authors refer to the actions of the Yes Men in 2002, when they falsely identified themselves with the World Trade Organization. Through their hoax they attempt to “enable something genuinely new to be thought, in a time when global capitalism has such a monopoly on what we can think.” (Hynes, 2007). This form of entertainment relies on artistic abilities as actors and political thinkers to rely upon experimentation and improvisation as well as superfluous detail and oftentimes sarcasm. The Yes Men provide resistance strategies for global power, meanwhile more conventional methods struggle against the forces of the large corporation or government. Those who consider their actions as unfair with respect to the victims who would be relieved that large corporations are prepared to take responsibility for the problems that have either happened beforehand or what they have caused. In the example from the documentary “The Yes Men Fix the World,” over 100,000 inhabitants of the Indian city Bhopal were exposed to Union Carbide's pesticide chemicals in 1984. The received little compensation, and in the hoax of the Yes Men, the “representative” explained that Dow would take full responsibility and provide a total of $12 billion paid to the victims of Bhopal. First reports of the reaction to the announcement include the victims crying with tears of joy. This example provides the potential danger of this humor, the fact that it is not only the corporations getting fooled but false hope that everything will work out. The argument of the comic shows and hoaxes done on behalf of such a corrupted system, also harms the public. The Yes Men play with fire when they impersonate these corporations. These individuals emphasize that they are creating hope, but in reality they are deceiving the public and creating false hopes. In the documentary, the Yes Men travel to India to apologize and determine if they did hurt the victims of Bhopal and affecting the economy and shareholders within companies, as seen in the Yes Men and their perspective on what should be done. Some of the jokes and statements made by comedians such as John Stewart can dramatically affect the market and politics. As well as producing national cynicism. Cynicisim which is dominating the youth and the general public's mentality. This mentality which has disabled our politicians and other solutions of sustainability, but it is time for change. A time for the erosion of sustainability to end, and a time for enlightenment and clarity. The existence of this comic relief is not aiding in this progression of change, but rather forming an method of information around the system. The existence of comedy within politics does detract from the way in which a government should operate. Government's often operate with corruption and leanience on the destruction of the American way of life via corporations. Comedians do stand up to these corporations, but does not generate the most efficient method of education. John Stewart has provided a great service however it ultimately publicizes and clutters the information market with random stupidity in reference to penis jokes in a parody textbook called //America (The Book)//. The news is already flooded with news on celebrities and sports, which dilute important topics from the news and comedy shows. Some of the statements which echo into the minds of the adolescent generation that have become increasingly devoted to television shows such as John Stewart's //The Daily Show//. These television broadcasts are planned extensively and require great comprehension of current events in order to be successful. According to Matt Welch's article “The 'Jon Stewart Game':Everyone Loses, Except Him!”, Stewart is feeding a collective fantasy that is his comedy. When he protests that he is a comedian, but he is also a bully. He is your annoying sibling who will not stop poking you. This psychological method of creating change is not the most effective for if you continue poking, something will eventually poke back. The entire culture surrounding these comedians transformed their humorous rants into words of wisdom and hope. How did movers and shakers of the U.S. Eventually became a dressed up clown. But no matter how they are disguised they are still the funny guys, who you turn to to release stress about the political and environmental systems.

The analysis of //Cultural Antrhopology// wherein Boyer and Yurchak demonstrate the progression of political satire and compare the systems (with respect to satire)of liberalism and socialism. This comparison would greatly outrage a demographic of the population due to their strict perception of the United States as a land of the free. The article focuses on the overnormalization of satire, as with advertisements and that form of communication. Also how political campaigns frame the minds of the population, and the influence of television on those perceptions. Television has affected the minds of viewers with their persuasive advertisements, but now comedians can be viewed as either knowledgeable or narrow-minded. These influencers educate the public on the issue through laughter. Does this change the message and integrity of the policy or action? Socialist politics became inundated with such their predecessor's writings and was a victim of overidentification. According to this article the media outlets displayed several tendencies that can be compared to the late-socialist hypernormalizatoin including a high propensity for monopolization of media production through the efforts of corporations, the support of public political discourse by political parties and government institutions, as well as the agreement that growth in business journalism is affecting the presentation and planning of political messages that are appearing more as theatrical debuts. Politics and their respective philosophies were created and explained by some of the most impressive intellects such as Socrates, Plato, Thoreau, etcetera. Maybe these influential men are laughing in their graves whenever Jon Stewart makes a penis joke on television. But the mere fact is that the political system is not taken seriously. When comedians replace the great thinkers of our past with concocted jokes and scenarios, there is definitely something wrong with the integrity and the progression into the future.

Comedy serves a great purpose in our lives, to relieve us of our stress. However, some issues should be left in professionalism and to those who have studied the philosophy extensively. The political system has failed with respect to upholding philosophical ideals and concepts. Yet in this world nothing is ideal, and neither is the entertainment industry. Since there is no ideal society and is currently being over-run by market perspectives where stakeholders and corporations have all of the power, as a viewer of //The Daily Show// or any other comic political show... you matter. These shows and tactics used by individuals such as the Yes Men, do provide some hope and just because it may not happen in the future, for a brief moment there is hope. In an instant however, reality is revealed and that candle of hope is extinguished. There are other methods of inspiration, these shows make profit off of numbers of viewers. They are not innocent but do provide a service of revealing some of the most atrocious acts against the public. We do not have political progressives like Martin Luther King, Jr. yet currently this is what we have. If the last person on the planet was a clown, would you still look to him or her for inspiration? In conclusion, the issue on whether or not comedy news enhances political and environmental literacy is evident. In order to laugh and joke about a topic or issue, one must understand it first. Comedy news does present a bunch of bologna on the side of the issue, but it is still being addressed and on national television. This advertising for politics and the environment may not be right with respect to the philosophical nature of the United States. However, is there any philsophy left? We pride ourselves on the market economy, but when the economy takes precedence over what is right for the public as well as for the future there is a problem within our structure. Unfortunately we cannot demolish this nation's political foundation and build from scratch, but journalism can fit and form around the mentality that has taken root: humor. In the end, comedians make us laugh and may even educate us on a few issues... is that so wrong?

Citation: September 12, 2011. //New York .// Smith, Chris. “America Is a Joke.” []

September 19, 2011. //Reason//. Welch, Matt. “The 'Jon Stewart Game': Everyone Loses, Except Him!”

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March 2007. //Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies.// Maria Hynes, Scott Sharpe & Bob Fagan//. “//Laughing with the Yes Men: The Politics of Affirmation."

http://sustainabilityproblems.wikispaces.com/file/view/HynesLaughingWithTheYesMen.pdf

2010. //Cultural Anthropology//. Dominic Boyer and Alexei Yurchak. "American Stiob: Or, What Late- Socialists Aesthetics of Parody Reveal about Contemporary Political Culture in the West." Overview and related media: []