Description
Book SynopsisPolitical humor and satire are, perhaps, as old as comedy itself, and they are crucial to our society and our collective sense of self. Satire is confrontational. It's about push back, descent, discord, disappointment, and demonstrating the absurdity of the status quo. This book is an attempt to explore the sane foundations of satire in our lives. Aristotle famously said that humans are naturally political animals. We need political community to flourish and live good lives. But politics also always entails unpopular decisions and power struggles. Satire is a form of humor that allows us to reflect on the irrational, incomprehensible, and intolerable nature of our lives without becoming totally despondent or depressed. In a poignant, pithy, but not a ponderous manner, Al Gini and Abraham Singer delve into the history of satire to rejoice in its triumphs and watch its development from ancient graffiti to the latest late night TV talk show.
Table of ContentsPrologue: We Can't Do Without Satire! Section I: The Satirical Imperative What Came First, the Fart Joke or the Political Joke?The 7 Social Functions of Satire.Section II: There's More Than One Way to Speak Truth to Power "We Hold These Punchlines to be Self-Evident." Black Comedy: Dark Humor. Women and Comedy: The Personal is Satirical."Why'd you have to choose us?" On Jews and Their Jokes.It's Not Fake News! Political Humor after Jon Stewart.Section III: The Ethics of Satire Punch Up? A Sorta (Groucho) Marxist CritiqueAmerica the Satirical: Do We Joke Too Much?Conclusion
