Image from source, Free Republic
I've been having a fruitless argument with a commenter on my blog lately. Chief among my frustrations has been with the very odd sense of humor and sarcasm by this particular person. But I'm finding a certain sameness among arch conservatives when it pertains to political "humor." Mostly that it isn't really all that funny.
A lesson any humorist or cartoonist must learn is that if you have to explain the joke, it probably isn't that funny. And a simple turn of phrase or a visual pun must have some sort of relevance to its subject for the joke to work. Now, I'd never claim to be an expert at the craft. I'm sure as many of my snarky attempts at irony and sarcasm have fallen flat, as those that were successful. You can't win 'em all. But it is my aim and hope that readers at least see what I was going for, even if I didn't hit a home run (or even a foul tip).
Conservative humor, in my experience, just comes out mean. And often times raises more "huh?" than "hah!" Take for example, almost anything Dennis Miller has said since he decided to infuse his act with right-wing material. Or the FOX "News" attempt to replicate The Daily Show with the tragically lame 1/2-hour News Hour. Or virtually anything on the page linked to below.
The page I'm referencing is something of a repository for all of the graphic images made by the denizens of Free Republic, the arch-conservative web forum. As you'll see, there are a lot of talented graphic artists over there, and I'm not being facetious. The problem is, they need to be paired with humorists. And the occasional "Buckwheat"-type attempt at humor I think we can all agree, ought to be avoided.
Maybe my new antagonist can explain to me what the joke is behind depicting President Obama as The Joker. I really don't get what the gag is. Does anyone else?
Source: FreeRepublic
OMG...the reason you don't get any humor is you really need to get out more often. There is a great big world out there. You need to understand conservatism, not what the liberals "think" conservatism is. The Beck's of the world are not the leaders of, or speakers for, conservatives. Make up your own mind. Did you see the batman movie?
ReplyDeleteI did see The Dark Knight, but wasn't a huge fan. Still don't see anything in The Joker character (great performance by Heath Ledger, BTW) that has any relevance to President Obama. Seriously, what are the parallels?
ReplyDeleteAs for conservative "humor," nope, seriously don't get it. I'm more of an early-Mel Brooks, early-Zucker brothers comedy fan. It doesn't have to be obvious, but it shouldn't have to be explained. For instance, many online conservatives think that calling Keith Olbermann "Bathtub Boy" is the height of hilarity. Huh?
As for conservatives in general, I was raised as one. My mother is a staunch conservative. Try as I may, I don't get her ideology either. Go figure.
I'm revisiting this comment, because I didn't catch something before. You said "You need to understand conservatism, not what the liberals "think" conservatism is." This--in reverse--is PRECISELY what is wrong with conservative "humor."
ReplyDeleteFor an example, watch the David Zucker movie, "An American Carol." The movie is atrocious, not a laugh to be had. And the reason is, the target is liberalism as conservatives imagine it. Michael Moore does not hate America, and wouldn't dream of trying to eliminate Independence Day as a holiday. But conservatives IMAGINE that it would be a natural goal for him. Almost every jab in that movie falls flat (at least to liberals) because NONE of it rings true.
Liberals could laugh at Phil Hartman's parody of Ted Kennedy, or Dan Aykroyd's lampoon of Jimmy Carter because there was a kernel of truth there. Most conservative humor--in my experience, please note--is missing any actual real-world nugget of truth. Plus, it is generally mean spirited.