THOMPSONSPF10RESEARCH

“Humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement.

People of all ages and cultures respond to humour. The majority of people are able to experience humour, i.e., to be amused, to laugh or smile at something funny, and thus they are considered to have a sense of humour.”

“Humor” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humour>

“Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its greater purpose is constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon.”

“Satire” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire>

With shows like South Park attracting 3 plus million viewers per episode and the Daily Show with Jon Stewart reaching over 1.6 million viewers per episode I feel it is important to investigate how they are reaching their audience and if it is changing their perception on the world around them and their views. After reading about the Billboard Liberation Front and their use of humor in their billboards to reach their audience I thought it would be beneficial to see how I could use this tool as an artist to reach my audience. I find it very interesting that viewers of the Daily Show are more educated on current world affairs than those who watch CNN or FOX. Viewers of South Park are also a well informed and educated segment. I have to question if the viewers are already well informed or if they are being informed through the show but I personally believe their awareness on current affairs is increased by the viewing of these shows. I think the success of this is due to the format of the show including humor and the relaxing nature of it. As quoted by Woodside humor has the power to reduce inhibitions of viewers allowing them to be receptive of new ideas and issues. I feel it is essential to my work to have an element of humor amongst it. The humor that one might find in my work would help balance out feelings of personal judgment that a viewer might perceive. My goal is to make my work humorous yet still ambiguous to the work not being a corporate backed advertisement.

“Culture jamming often expresses alternative views or ideas, and shows or breeches taboos that would otherwise not be tolerated by the mainstream (Palmer, 1994:60). Humour allows the mention of taboo subjects because it allows for a possible escape route if the subject matter is too serious, or perhaps goes to far while breeching a taboo. In this way taboos become reasonably risk free. Not only does humour help reduce inhibitions to taboo subjects but it also subverts “…well-established rules of behaviour by raising taboo topics that can remain on the agenda” (Palmer, 1994:61). For culture jammers this last aspect of agenda setting is of vital importance because in most cases it is hard for them to get their messages in to the public agenda. In some cases this is what they are trying to fight

against, the dominant media paradigm.

Humour can also be used to attract attention (Sippitt & Fowler, 1999:16). Taboos and humour involving taboos or inhibitions that have perhaps been taken one step too far are thus seen as an irregularity for some groups, and thus attract attention. A secondary effect of the attention attraction is that irregularities in the form of taboos are talked about, inside or outside the group. The humour becomes the subject of discussion between people. This is also part of the idea behind humour as a social lubricant, getting people to talk together about a subject. Finally, by using humour and understanding it, people are agreeing, in part, about the meaning of the humour. I say in part because the interpretation of meaning is very ambiguous, and we may not be finding something funny for the same reasons.”

Woodside, Sven “Every joke is a tiny revolution Culture Jamming and the Role of humour.” Amsterdam: 2001. 17

“To persuade others, to get them to at least think about alternative issues can be achieved through using humour. The idea that humour can have an element of persuasion flows forth out of the other functions of humour; attention creation and disarmament of people’s ideas about an issue. The idea of disarmament, followed by an attempt to persuade can be increased.”

Woodside, Sven “Every joke is a tiny revolution Culture Jamming and the Role of humour.” Amsterdam: 2001. 54

Viewers of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report score the highest on National News knowledge level making them a politically well-informed citizen.

“Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions” Pew Research Center. April 2007. February 2011. <http://people-press.org/report/319/public-knowledge-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-information-revolutions>

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