Topic Proposal
Laughing Matters
Reasons presidents need to make fun of themselves to get elected
4 main questions that I will address
-What shape does the argument take? How is the argument presented or arranged? What media does the argument use?
-What is the purpose of the argument? What does it hope to achieve?
-What appeals or techniques does the argument use- emotional, logical, and ethical?
-What are the contexts- social, political, historical, cultural- for this argument? Whose interests does it serve? Who gains or loses by it?
The argument implies that political candidates need to go though some comedy related event or show in order to get elect. This is backed up throughout the text because it gives examples of all the political candidates that have went through the process. And for them to get elected they must make fun of themselves a little bit because it will make people laugh and reassure the public that these people show some sense of human functionalism. It is presented through documentaries and late night shows such as The Letterman Show and SNL.
The purpose of the argument is basically that all these figureheads of our society enjoy the same comedy that ordinary people do. Just because they are politically important doesn’t mean that these people are not slightly entertained through comedy. The argument hopes to achieve conformation from the public that in order for someone to get elected they must first endure the wrath of comedy. It has proven true because every single president nominee has been on a late night show of some sort.
The argument uses a combination of ethical and emotional appeal because comedy effects people both emotionally and sometimes ethically. Sometimes jokes can get a little bit unethical and cross over the line but since these are presidential candidates I would think that they know what is going to be said about them before they agree to the show. Comedy mainly appeals to us emotionally because seeing these people on television getting ripped for ridiculous things makes us laugh and helps us gain a perspective on what kind of sense of humor the candidate has. Anytime you laugh you draw some sort of emotion whether you try to or not because most of the time you are entertained.
The contexts of this argument is political and cultural because these are politicians that are molding to today’s culture which is that these nominees are basically required to appear on some sort of comical show in order to get elected. It interests the voting population because they are the ones that are eventually going to have to elect one of these candidates. The candidates have basically nothing to win but everything to lose on one of these shows. The public really benefits from this because they are given to opportunity to see another side of the candidate.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Response #2
Short Writing Assignment #2
Laughing is something that everyone does every single day. It has grown into an extremely important part of society because it is so widely used. There are obviously many reasons that people laugh and the book gives a lot of good reasons as to why people laugh. But, there are also some reasons that are listed that I have never laughed because of. Just to give you an example, I have never really laughed because I feel superior and that is one of the top two reasons people laugh. Then again, maybe that is a reason that I laugh, and I just do not know it but I have a feeling that is not the reason that I laugh. The top reason that we laugh, given in the book, is that we laugh out of surprise and I do have to agree with that one, sort of; we laugh if we are surprised only if the information that we hear or the act that we see is just a little bit funny.
One thing that bothers me about the reasons that we laugh is that we laugh when we feel superior. The reason that it confounds me is that when people laugh out of superiority then it is sending a strong message the person or group of people that are deemed as inferior; and that message is not one that anyone would like to endure. If you were the inferior party would you like it if people were laughing at you just because you were looked at as inferior. This just bothers me because that there are a whole lot of poor and starving people in the world that have no opportunities for success or no opportunities for a high quality of life and to know that people are laughing because they feel superior; not necessarily towards them but just because they feel superior in general. Even if they are not making fun of the under privileged it is an indirect shot at them. And it is completely reasonable to assume that if people laugh because they feel superior then they are subject to make fun of the inferior and laugh about it.
Another thing that surprises me about the list of reasons that we laugh is that there is nothing saying that we laugh because we are either amused of entertained. These seem like the top two reasons that most people laugh. When someone gives a little chuckle then obviously they have to be somewhat amused of their would have really no reason to laugh. And secondly I would think that people also laugh because they are entertained. If someone is laughing at any kind of show or just laughing in general usually they are enjoying the show or enjoying whatever it is that is making them laugh, and by enjoying something you are entertained. These are probably the top two reasons that I laugh and I can’t really speak for everyone but I can assure you that laughing out of feeling superior is not a reason that I laugh.
The reason that this subject interests me is because I spend the majority of my time laughing. I am easily amused and entertained and feel like I am a funny guy. When something like laughing, that is so widely used, then I feel that it is important for everyone to understand why it is that they are laughing. And if people feel that they are laughing for the wrong reasons then it could raise some sense of awareness and make people stop and think about how it would feel to be on the other end of “joke”. My example of all this nonsense would have to be the jokes that everyone makes about the homeless and the jokes that people make about the starving people in Ethiopia. The main joke would be the one about the person in Ethiopia chasing a doughnut down a hill and I’m sure that everyone has heard it.
Laughing is something that everyone does every single day. It has grown into an extremely important part of society because it is so widely used. There are obviously many reasons that people laugh and the book gives a lot of good reasons as to why people laugh. But, there are also some reasons that are listed that I have never laughed because of. Just to give you an example, I have never really laughed because I feel superior and that is one of the top two reasons people laugh. Then again, maybe that is a reason that I laugh, and I just do not know it but I have a feeling that is not the reason that I laugh. The top reason that we laugh, given in the book, is that we laugh out of surprise and I do have to agree with that one, sort of; we laugh if we are surprised only if the information that we hear or the act that we see is just a little bit funny.
One thing that bothers me about the reasons that we laugh is that we laugh when we feel superior. The reason that it confounds me is that when people laugh out of superiority then it is sending a strong message the person or group of people that are deemed as inferior; and that message is not one that anyone would like to endure. If you were the inferior party would you like it if people were laughing at you just because you were looked at as inferior. This just bothers me because that there are a whole lot of poor and starving people in the world that have no opportunities for success or no opportunities for a high quality of life and to know that people are laughing because they feel superior; not necessarily towards them but just because they feel superior in general. Even if they are not making fun of the under privileged it is an indirect shot at them. And it is completely reasonable to assume that if people laugh because they feel superior then they are subject to make fun of the inferior and laugh about it.
Another thing that surprises me about the list of reasons that we laugh is that there is nothing saying that we laugh because we are either amused of entertained. These seem like the top two reasons that most people laugh. When someone gives a little chuckle then obviously they have to be somewhat amused of their would have really no reason to laugh. And secondly I would think that people also laugh because they are entertained. If someone is laughing at any kind of show or just laughing in general usually they are enjoying the show or enjoying whatever it is that is making them laugh, and by enjoying something you are entertained. These are probably the top two reasons that I laugh and I can’t really speak for everyone but I can assure you that laughing out of feeling superior is not a reason that I laugh.
The reason that this subject interests me is because I spend the majority of my time laughing. I am easily amused and entertained and feel like I am a funny guy. When something like laughing, that is so widely used, then I feel that it is important for everyone to understand why it is that they are laughing. And if people feel that they are laughing for the wrong reasons then it could raise some sense of awareness and make people stop and think about how it would feel to be on the other end of “joke”. My example of all this nonsense would have to be the jokes that everyone makes about the homeless and the jokes that people make about the starving people in Ethiopia. The main joke would be the one about the person in Ethiopia chasing a doughnut down a hill and I’m sure that everyone has heard it.
Monday, January 19, 2009
response 1
The first chapter in the Laughing Matters book is important because it gives us a little introduction as to how comedy affects the readers perception. Henri Bergson wrote a book called Laughter, and he is, supposedly, one of the most important persons in the comedy genre. I guess you could say that he opened people up to this broad field and paved the way for more people to do the kind of work that he was doing. He also thought that comedy allowed a sense of relief, or an absence of feeling, to entertain the reader.
In the first chapter of Comedy Writing, I found that one of the points of the chapter is the three MAP elements: material, audience, and performer. Also it was said that some of the benefits of writing humor are respect, remembrance, and rewards. There comes a point where some humor is more shocking than it is funny so it is important to stay within some reasonable boundaries.
In response to the Laughing Matters section, I thought that one of the main points was that comedy is used as kind of a relief to the audience. It is a tactic that can be used to relieve stress and allow someone to cheer there spirits. I, personally believe that….. it is important to read funny things because US Americans tend to not read things that are funny. They also talk about the expansion of comedy and it is amazing as to how extremely huge the field of comedy has gotten. Think about it, pretty much every single newspaper has some kind of comic strip or comic relief section. The number of comedians is ridiculous and they are able to make great careers doing it. Who would have though that Chuck Norris jokes would have gotten blown this much out of proportion? Who would have thought that every one in middle school would be telling “yo mama” jokes? The effect that comedy has on everyday life is tremendous. To change gears for a little bit, you can even enjoy comedy during tough times. I know that there has been at least one point in everyone’s life where they have been extremely upset and someone has either read, told, or acted out something so funny that even though you may be crying, or really mad at the world, you are still able to crack at least a little smirk.
In response to the Comedy writing section, I think that material, audience, and performer all have a substantial amount of influence when it comes to acquiring a successful piece of comedy. It is obviously important to keep your material appropriate for the age range that will be receiving the humor. It is common sense that infants and young kids don’t need to be hearing sexual jokes or profane language in the piece. The audience is extremely important to consider because a certain type of humor may appeal to a different audience. Again, it is not likely that a stand up comedian, on a world tour, would meander his way into Israel and start telling a bunch of Jewish jokes. And again the performer can also be a key element in the success of humor since chances the one performing the act of humor or writing it needs to have a little bit of charisma because if not he will not be successful and probably be either booed off the stage or his book will not sell. Maybe if he writes a comic strip then he would be that person that people make fun of because the joke was so dumb. As far as the three R’s, respect, remembrance, and rewards, go it is extremely important to realize that these are some of perks of comedy. People are more likely to remember something that they tie emotion to; and if something is funny then they will laugh and remember it. Respect comes along with success for the most part as long as they do not cross the line. And of course there are rewards to comedy because people will receive considerable recognition if they create a nice piece of comedy. Everyone loves them just a little bit of comedy.
In the first chapter of Comedy Writing, I found that one of the points of the chapter is the three MAP elements: material, audience, and performer. Also it was said that some of the benefits of writing humor are respect, remembrance, and rewards. There comes a point where some humor is more shocking than it is funny so it is important to stay within some reasonable boundaries.
In response to the Laughing Matters section, I thought that one of the main points was that comedy is used as kind of a relief to the audience. It is a tactic that can be used to relieve stress and allow someone to cheer there spirits. I, personally believe that….. it is important to read funny things because US Americans tend to not read things that are funny. They also talk about the expansion of comedy and it is amazing as to how extremely huge the field of comedy has gotten. Think about it, pretty much every single newspaper has some kind of comic strip or comic relief section. The number of comedians is ridiculous and they are able to make great careers doing it. Who would have though that Chuck Norris jokes would have gotten blown this much out of proportion? Who would have thought that every one in middle school would be telling “yo mama” jokes? The effect that comedy has on everyday life is tremendous. To change gears for a little bit, you can even enjoy comedy during tough times. I know that there has been at least one point in everyone’s life where they have been extremely upset and someone has either read, told, or acted out something so funny that even though you may be crying, or really mad at the world, you are still able to crack at least a little smirk.
In response to the Comedy writing section, I think that material, audience, and performer all have a substantial amount of influence when it comes to acquiring a successful piece of comedy. It is obviously important to keep your material appropriate for the age range that will be receiving the humor. It is common sense that infants and young kids don’t need to be hearing sexual jokes or profane language in the piece. The audience is extremely important to consider because a certain type of humor may appeal to a different audience. Again, it is not likely that a stand up comedian, on a world tour, would meander his way into Israel and start telling a bunch of Jewish jokes. And again the performer can also be a key element in the success of humor since chances the one performing the act of humor or writing it needs to have a little bit of charisma because if not he will not be successful and probably be either booed off the stage or his book will not sell. Maybe if he writes a comic strip then he would be that person that people make fun of because the joke was so dumb. As far as the three R’s, respect, remembrance, and rewards, go it is extremely important to realize that these are some of perks of comedy. People are more likely to remember something that they tie emotion to; and if something is funny then they will laugh and remember it. Respect comes along with success for the most part as long as they do not cross the line. And of course there are rewards to comedy because people will receive considerable recognition if they create a nice piece of comedy. Everyone loves them just a little bit of comedy.
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