"poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" - Percy Bysshe Shelley
Why is satire seemingly exclusively a left wing thing? Why can't those on the right do satire?
I have this sense that it has a lot to do with the fact that right wing audiences are willing to accept jokes that go against their beliefs, not because of anything inherent in being conservative, but because it's expected that you will laugh at left wing things. On the contrary, if you try to make right wing based jokes in a left wing crowd you will get crickets.
The entertainment industry is largely progressive; this must lead to lots of navel gazing and in-jokes that end up with a progressive slant. If you like jokes, but also like telling people what they should be doing in their bedroom, then you're out of luck, both as a performer and an audience.
Is this something new? What role does education play? The college educated, ivory tower, latte sipping, lefty ratbag types now seem to be engaging in politics exclusively through satire. I'm not sure how prevalent it is there, but I know people here whose only exposure to US politics is TDS and Colbert. How does it change one's viewpoint if they are engaging through satire.
Are there funny right wingers? Examples would be nice. I think in the context of this conversation it is worth thinking of Glenn Beck as a vaudeville act, but perhaps he is satire that is taken seriously; maybe Beck and Colbert are doing the exact same thing, they just come off as different because audience interpretation.
I'll finish on this thought; we've recently had our comedy festival here in Melbourne, which along with Montreal and Edinburgh are the biggest and most important in the world. Comedians can make quite easy transfers between Canada, the UK, NZ and Australia; indeed, there is a comedy 'scene' that settles around these three festivals, many comedians make their living basing their residence and tours around these dates and places. However, going to America is different. Tim Minchin, who admittedly is an atheist and very anti-christian, is huge here and in the UK, but he is only just about to go on his first US tour... To Seattle. Other comedians have told stories of getting away from the coasts in the US and being run out of venues by angry mobs.
So, in conclusion, can you be Right and Funny? Insert your examples herein.
(ps. excuse the poor post quality, I can't be bothered making it better :P)
ETA: There's lots of Libertarian funnyfolk out there, so I think I need to reassess this to ask "Why can't conservatives be funny?"
I have this sense that it has a lot to do with the fact that right wing audiences are willing to accept jokes that go against their beliefs, not because of anything inherent in being conservative, but because it's expected that you will laugh at left wing things. On the contrary, if you try to make right wing based jokes in a left wing crowd you will get crickets.
The entertainment industry is largely progressive; this must lead to lots of navel gazing and in-jokes that end up with a progressive slant. If you like jokes, but also like telling people what they should be doing in their bedroom, then you're out of luck, both as a performer and an audience.
Is this something new? What role does education play? The college educated, ivory tower, latte sipping, lefty ratbag types now seem to be engaging in politics exclusively through satire. I'm not sure how prevalent it is there, but I know people here whose only exposure to US politics is TDS and Colbert. How does it change one's viewpoint if they are engaging through satire.
Are there funny right wingers? Examples would be nice. I think in the context of this conversation it is worth thinking of Glenn Beck as a vaudeville act, but perhaps he is satire that is taken seriously; maybe Beck and Colbert are doing the exact same thing, they just come off as different because audience interpretation.
I'll finish on this thought; we've recently had our comedy festival here in Melbourne, which along with Montreal and Edinburgh are the biggest and most important in the world. Comedians can make quite easy transfers between Canada, the UK, NZ and Australia; indeed, there is a comedy 'scene' that settles around these three festivals, many comedians make their living basing their residence and tours around these dates and places. However, going to America is different. Tim Minchin, who admittedly is an atheist and very anti-christian, is huge here and in the UK, but he is only just about to go on his first US tour... To Seattle. Other comedians have told stories of getting away from the coasts in the US and being run out of venues by angry mobs.
So, in conclusion, can you be Right and Funny? Insert your examples herein.
(ps. excuse the poor post quality, I can't be bothered making it better :P)
ETA: There's lots of Libertarian funnyfolk out there, so I think I need to reassess this to ask "Why can't conservatives be funny?"