Conservatives: Where's the funny?

[XT]

[QUOTE=Chronos]
Wait, you’re serious, here? That’s your criterion for what makes something funny? Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. There, I just rendered this the funniest post on the SDMB. And then, after establishing that that’s what your standard of humor is, you go on to say that you don’t like corny pre-school humor? Just what level of maturity do you think fuck fuckity fuck fuck is?
[/QUOTE]

Actually, this was one of the funniest posts on the SDMB, but I’m sure the humor was unintentional. See, I was making a joke…and it was a joke that you obviously didn’t get. THAT’S pretty freaking funny, to me anyway. Thanks…made my day.

-XT

[Sitnam]

@RickJay

And yet in the same post you replied to I quite specifically stated that, in fact, that’s not true. During the critical early early os a comic’s career, the audience is liberal. There isn’t a “long term” if you don’t make it in the short term. It’s simply not an easy path if you want to take a conservative stance on stage. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that - it’s just the way it is. Conservatives get talk radio, liberals get comedy.

I agree but comedy, like all entertainment, is about setting yourself apart from the crowd while fulfilling a niche. A conservative comic would suit both of those. Jeff Dunham uses puppets for fucks sake, Penn & Teller magic. Even as a novelty I don’t see conservative comics or even conservatively leaning comedy shows.

And you’ll have to excuse my skepticism in taking ‘thats just the way it is’ as an answer.

[j666]

@xtisme

[Quote=
j66]

Read the Darwin Awards - which do you laugh the hardest at, something you might have done, or something that makes no sense to you?

Definitely something that makes zero sense to me and I can’t believe someone was stupid enough to do. But overall I agree with your point.

-XT
[/QUOTE]

I find that very disturbing. I don’t like ‘cruel’ humor; in fact, I don’t think it is humor, I think it’s just the anger and hostility it pretends to masquerade.

On the other hand, I love angry humor and black humor and subtle humor - oh, I miss dry wit - and poignant humor.

But fuck you stupid person for being different from me humor? No, that has no charm for me.

[Sitnam]

@Frylock

The show has conservative characters in it. The point of view of the show itself, however, is apolitical with a slight leftward lean.

The characters are the central theme and the plots are always sympathetic to their view.

What makes you think theres a leftward lean?

[BrainGlutton]

And why are there no funny RW editorial cartoonists? Mallard Fillmore is not funny. Michael Ramirez is just embarrassing to himself. So is Wayne Stayskal if he were capable of embarrassment.

[XT]

[QUOTE=j66]
I find that very disturbing. I don’t like ‘cruel’ humor; in fact, I don’t think it is humor, I think it’s just the anger and hostility it pretends to masquerade.
[/QUOTE]

Then obviously don’t read through the Darwin Awards, since it’s all about black humor. I find it hilarious that you find it disturbing. And even more funny that you are trying this psudo-analyses crapola routine on me here.

On the other hand, I love angry humor and black humor and subtle humor - oh, I miss dry wit - and poignant humor.

Irony is my favorite.

But fuck you stupid person for being different from me humor? No, that has no charm for me.

Straw though…do you enjoy the smell of straw in the morning? What does it smell like to you?

-XT

[BrainGlutton]

@appleciders

O’Rourke is not as funny today as he used to be, nor is he as firmly on the right. The GOP has also gone much further to the right, and O’Rourke has been passed over. However, his older writing is both funny and insightful; Parliament of Whores is pretty good reading, and though he’s a conservative, he advocates for the abolition of all farm subsidies and cutting the defense budget by 35%.

Meh. He was way funnier in his National Lampoon days.

[BrainGlutton]

@xtisme

Dennis Miller is on your top 10 list.

Dennis Miller is not funny.

[j666]

@xtisme

Then obviously don’t read through the Darwin Awards, since it’s all about black humor. I find it hilarious that you find it disturbing. And even more funny that you are trying this psudo-analyses crapola routine on me here.

Irony is my favorite.

Straw though…do you enjoy the smell of straw in the morning? What does it smell like to you?

-XT

Black humor is not cruel humor.

[Tom_Tildrum]

@Jonathan_Chance

The right has a near monopoly on outrage-oriented radio (and to some extent television) and the left has satire and humor. It’s the way the market works.

What people are overlooking is that, to his audience, Limbaugh is indeed very funny. His humor is a major part of his appeal to them. It’s not conventional standup, of course, but much of what he does is intended to be funny and is received that way. It’s probably best analogized to editorial cartoons, where the humor is “it’s funny because it’s true,” and hence you’re unlikely to laugh unless it’s coming from your point of view.

Yes, to those on the left he seems angry. To those on the right, leftist comics seem angry. Most comedians are angry, even the nice-seeming ones. (Now I’m thinking about the Dave Chappelle skit: “Is Wayne Brady going to have to choke a bitch!?”).

@YogSosoth

When people rebel or protest against those in charge, that’s called rebellion, freedom fighting, courageous.

You’re forgetting the extent to which comics on the right (such as, yes, Limbaugh) derive humor from attacking institutions on the left: The Obama presidency, the Pelosi/Reid Congress, academia, Hollywood.

[Kobal2]

@j66

Black humor is not cruel humor.

But dry wit is, when a fellow like Wilde or Groucho Marx deadpans a stone cold barb at some poor schmoe who just happened to say the wrong thing at the wrong time in front of the wrong guy.
Wilde and Groucho were fine entertainers, but they were humiliating the guys being barbed all the same.

[The_Second_Stone]

In America it is considered disgusting to make fun of the less fortunate and not funny. As goofy as some of my fellow traveler liberals ideas appear to conservatives, virtually all conservatives get that liberals are out to help those people. That’s not something they want to make light of without looking like jerks. It sounds bitter to be talking about welfare queens and worse to try to get a superior laugh out of it.

We make fun of celebrities and the rich.

[BrainGlutton]

@The_Second_Stone

In America it is considered disgusting to make fun of the less fortunate and not funny.

“Mrs. Robinson, can the twins come out and play?”

“I’m sorry, they’re both in wheelchairs since the accident.”

“We know that. We just want to roll them down the hill and make book.”

[Starving_Artist]

It’s perfectly possible to be both conservative and funny. Bill Cosby, while not a liberal in his political attitudes, does present his humor with what could reasonably be said to be conservative values. It is clean and has no attitude. There were a lot of sitcoms and comedians prior to the late sixties who were both clean and funny (and believe it or not, not racist nor scornful of the poor, despite what you read on this board). In fact, virtually every highly successful comedian (i.e., not Mort Saul nor Lenny Bruce, etc.) of the fifties and sixties was funny in what would be considered a conservative way these days. Jack Benny, George Burns, Jackie Gleason, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Carol Burnett, etc., etc., virtually ad infinitum were all funny and presented their humor in ways that would be considered conservative these days.

But we live in a time now where liberal attitudes rule the roost in the field of entertainment, including comedy. Comedians or sitcoms with a conservative-esque type of humor could no more succeed today than Roseanne Barr or gangsta rap could have succeeded in 1958. And, just like you didn’t see comedy or music like that in the 50s, you don’t see the comedy from those days now.

So, long story short, you don’t see humor with a conservative slant these days because the market won’t allow it, not because conservatives can’t be funny.

[Sam_Stone]

Greg Gutfeld comes to mind. His ‘Red Eye’ show can be pretty entertaining, and his other guests and hosts are generally conservatives, although he brings liberals on as well.

Rob Long is one of the bigwigs at National Review and Ricochet, and he’s a comedy writer (I think he was a head writer for Cheers, and he works steadily comedy writing).

Mark Steyn can be pretty funny when he’s not being deadly serious, and James Lileks is a great comedic writer. In fact, there are quite a few conservative writers of humor. Even William F. Buckley had a great wit.

Some of the great satirists of modern life have been conservative. Tom Wolfe and HL Mencken for example.

Dave Barry.

Dennis Miller, obviously.

Steven Crowder is a right-wing comedian, although I don’t find him all that funny.

Norm MacDonald

Nick DiPaolo

Chris Rock has some conservative comedy, but he’s a big fan of Obama’s, so maybe he doesn’t count any more.

Larry Miller

PJ O’Rourke

Jeff Foxworthy

Brian Regan

Drew Carey

Adam Sandler

Dana Carvey, somewhat

Leslie Nielson, RIP

Larry the Cable Guy

Penn and Teller

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Some of the above are more libertarian than conservative, but none of them are liberals.

Granted, there are more liberal stand up comedians. But one of the reasons for that is because the audience for comedians tends to be young college crowds, and they tend to be liberal. Go in with a killer conservative routine making fun of liberal tropes, and you’ll get booed off the stage. So it may also be that there are a lot of conservative comedians who just don’t do conservative humor, because there’s no money in it.

Adam Sandler is a conservative, but he doesn’t do ‘conservative’ humor because he’d alienate his audience. Same with Drew Carey. Comedians who work conservative politics into their act like Dennis Miller often have to play to overtly 'conservative audiences now because liberals won’t laugh when they poke fun at liberals. Maybe conservatives are less uptight over jokes being told about conservative beliefs.

And when you’re facing a liberal crowd, even a lame joke that pokes fun at conservatives will get a big laugh. So that would tend to bring out the liberal political comedians and suppress the conservative ones.

Finally, comedians tend to work best as outsiders. And George Bush created a target-rich environment for them. Maybe now that the Democrats are screwing up badly and the shine has come off Obama, we’ll see more conservative humor coming out of the woodwork.

[Starving_Artist]

@Tom_Tildrum

What people are overlooking is that, to his audience, Limbaugh is indeed very funny. His humor is a major part of his appeal to them. It’s not conventional standup, of course, but much of what he does is intended to be funny and is received that way. It’s probably best analogized to editorial cartoons, where the humor is “it’s funny because it’s true,” and hence you’re unlikely to laugh unless it’s coming from your point of view.

Yes, to those on the left he seems angry. To those on the right, leftist comics seem angry. Most comedians are angry, even the nice-seeming ones. (Now I’m thinking about the Dave Chappelle skit: “Is Wayne Brady going to have to choke a bitch!?”).

You’re forgetting the extent to which comics on the right (such as, yes, Limbaugh) derive humor from attacking institutions on the left: The Obama presidency, the Pelosi/Reid Congress, academia, Hollywood.

Couldn’t agree more. I used to listen to Limbaugh in the early 90s and I thought he was funny as hell. He probably still is, and in my opinion this is largely what sets him apart from people like Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck. IMO, it also make him a lot more effective.

[astro]

Opie and Anthony, the radio personalities are both quite socially and economically, but not morally, conservative on many topics and they can be quite funny at times.

[Bryan_Ekers]

Al Capp’s The Hardhat’s Bedtime Story Book was pretty funny, though written at a time when liberals (or at least the dirty-hippie rebel-for-the-sake-of-rebellion stereotype) could be mocked for laughs. It’s utterly dated now, but worth a look, I figure.

[Hypnagogic_Jerk]

@Frylock

The show has conservative characters in it. The point of view of the show itself, however, is apolitical with a slight leftward lean.

King of the Hill mocks both liberal and conservative viewpoints when it does political-oriented humour. Hank Hill, while not being exactly a politicized character, is small-c conservative, and he’s usually portrayed sympathetically when he demonstrates personal responsibility and a clean-cut lifestyle (for example), yet his excessive psychological rigidity also makes him come off as a buffoon at times. See his incapacity to connect with his son due to Bobby being an artist rather than a jock, for example, or Hank’s unbelieveable attitude towards drugs. The show also mocks stereotypically “liberal” characters and political positions (the overactive social workers/PC police, for example; I’m also thinking of the trans fat ban episode*), yet I’m sure they mocked stereotypically “conservative” positions as well even though I don’t have an example right now, and more importantly, as I’ve said, much of the show’s humour derives from Hank’s initially extreme rigidity, and from his eventually accepting to tone it down and accept things that weren’t part of his worldview.

*Although the incorrect facts in this one detracted me from enjoying it as much as I could have. Trans fats aren’t what gives food its flavour. They were thinking of saturated fats. Trans fats don’t do anything except make vegetable oils solid at room temperature, and they’re also naturally present in small quantities in some meats and milk (but nobody’s thinking of banning that). I guess it works if you see it as criticism of government-enforced good nutrition standards, but mentioning “trans fats”, even though it’s today’s nutritional buzzword, shines a spotlight on their inadequate research. American Dad also did a very similar episode, with the same error.

This said, despite that flaw this episode still stands as what I would consider good conservative humour. See the plot: after trans fats are banned in Arlen (an example of the government over-extending itself and trying to micromanage us, for our own good of course), Hank considers it its duty to break this oppressive law. But then, when he sees the effect that his example has on his son, as well as the fact that other people breaking the law aren’t as scrupulous as he is (that’s Thaterton and his gang), he understands that one must obey the law even if one disagrees with it, and work to change it through legal means. And he also teaches personal responsibility to Bill, who’s been gorging on “healthy”, trans fat-free food. Despite the incorrect facts, it’s a good episode, and yes, one with a conservative message.

[Hentor_the_Barbarian]

@Sam_Stone

Some of the above are more libertarian than conservative, but none of them are liberals.

Granted, there are more liberal stand up comedians. But one of the reasons for that is because the audience for comedians tends to be young college crowds, and they tend to be liberal. Go in with a killer conservative routine making fun of liberal tropes, and you’ll get booed off the stage. So it may also be that there are a lot of conservative comedians who just don’t do conservative humor, because there’s no money in it.

You think the money in comedy is to be found in stand-up delivered to college students?

Adam Sandler is a conservative, but he doesn’t do ‘conservative’ humor because he’d alienate his audience. Same with Drew Carey. Comedians who work conservative politics into their act like Dennis Miller often have to play to overtly 'conservative audiences now because liberals won’t laugh when they poke fun at liberals. Maybe conservatives are less uptight over jokes being told about conservative beliefs.

And when you’re facing a liberal crowd, even a lame joke that pokes fun at conservatives will get a big laugh. So that would tend to bring out the liberal political comedians and suppress the conservative ones.

Finally, comedians tend to work best as outsiders. And George Bush created a target-rich environment for them. Maybe now that the Democrats are screwing up badly and the shine has come off Obama, we’ll see more conservative humor coming out of the woodwork.

I’m not going to quibble with your list, as it was mostly a real Who’s That of comedy. My question, given your argument, pertains to the fact that we are often told that conservatives in America are both more numerous and more wealthy. Why wouldn’t it pay better to play to that audience? Why not make movies (which I would contend are far more lucrative that touring college campuses doing stand-up) that alienate the poorer, less numerous liberals by delivering solidly conservative humorous material?

Why would the Half Hour Comedy Hour die such a quick death? It wasn’t delivered to liberal college students. There was no “suppression” at work there, was there? It was for an “overtly conservative” audience, right?

Your arguments seem entirely inconsistent with what we are told about the putative market for conservative material.