Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Over at the Huffington Post, blogger Alf Lamont sets out to explain why the Left has a corner on the comedy market with funny men like the foul-mouthed misogynist Bill Maher, belligerent feminist Janeane Garofalo, and the clownish, but sometimes genuinely funny Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart. Lamont concludes that the Left has a monopoly on comedy because—with maaaaybe the exception of Dennis Miller– conservatives aren't funny. To support his conclusion, he lays out five points which, more than anything else, reveal his utter lack of self-awareness.
1. Comedy is inherently subversive...Those who hold the power know very well just how damaging and subversive well-placed satire can be, so those in power see little good coming from mocking themselves and the institutions they preserve.
Because fact is, Republicans hold the White House and both chambers of Congress.
2. Comedy is often a coping mechanism for adverse situations...You don't have to look too far or too deep to realize that comedy speaks to unfairness and injustice. If you haven't experienced them, if there's no struggle, there's less need to find a redeeming quality to your situation by injecting humor into your life.
Everyone knows that conservatives live such charmed lives that they never struggle with adversity. Being coerced to buy products they don't want and subsidize behaviors that violate their consciences, being told whom they may or may not rent to and how much they can charge, being subjected to a government imposed drought because an irrigation system might kill some tiny fish commonly used for bait—if you think things like these are unjust or unfair, you clearly don't know the meaning of justice or fairness.
3. It is easier to sell to the 99% than the 1%...Comedy is part of entertainment, and entertainment is a business. As a numbers game, its flat out more profitable to mock the establishment when the rest of us will be buying tickets to your shows.
So conservatives continue to outnumber liberals two to one, but conservatives are the 1%. Astounding mathematical insight right there.
4. Tradition...Let's face it, the tradition of Card-Carrying, Left-leaning, Pinko comics is a great one. A kid aspiring to comedic greatness can look to Charlie Chaplin, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Marc Maron, if they care to lean left. However, the pickin's are slim on the other side of the aisle. Like it or not, the success of lefty comics makes the leftist tradition of comedy a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Ok, so he was grasping to make it an even five points. This is like saying "there are no conservative comedians because there are no conservative comedians." Clever.
5. The truth...it is undeniable that the Right seems to be in a high speed dive towards absurdity so transparently errant, that it makes for simple fodder to those looking to mock. As Rory Albanese of The Daily Show pointed out during our panel," Santorum is Anti-College! How can you not make fun of that?" For my part, I've found that the most brazen lies about human sexuality, reproductive rights, health care, the environment, energy, foreign relations, and our president's background, all seem to be emanating from a political party who is having to do cartwheels of logic in order to keep from stumbling on its own silly reasoning.
The funny thing with this last point is that I don't think he even meant it to be funny.
But there you have it. Conservatives aren't funny because they aren't funny. Best not even try (I'm looking at you, Rob Long).
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Comments:
Aug '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Funny Conservatives/Libertarians:
Greg Gutfeld
Rob Long
Mark Steyn
Dave Barry
Dennis Miller
Steven Crowder
Norm MacDonald
Nick DiPaolo
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 (Southpark)
I do believe there are more comedians that come from the left than from the right. I also think part of the reason for that is because comedians get their starts playing to college crowds and comedy clubs, both of which tend to have liberal audiences. Conservative humor just isn't your ticket into the comedy big leagues.
But look at that list - there are some major players on there. Drew Carey, Adam Sandler, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller.. These are some of the biggest names in the comedy business. If you look at humor writers, we've got Dave Barry, who is one of the funniest writers of our time. P.J. O'Rourke is maybe the best modern satirist around. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are near the top of the peak for animated comedy.
Jul '11
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
I think what it all boils down to is that conservatives aren't funny because liberals have no sense of humor.
May '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Tattooing George W. Bush's portrait on Jeane Garofalo's forehead while she sleeps...
Now, that's funny!
Feb '12
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
I'd like to add Jonah Goldberg to the list; he's a witty, smart, humorous writer and commentator. His Newtzilla was a killer.. and here he is with Peter .. Droll..
Oct '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Here's how stupid Bill Maher is: even with the benefit of hindsight, he argued that before we dropped the bomb on Japan we should've dropped one off the coast of Japan to show them what we would do to them, and then they would've surrendered and we wouldn't have had to kill so many of them. Mind you, he said this despite the fact that Japan did NOT surrender after the first bomb that wiped out a city, and they almost didn't surrender (I think their War Council voted NOT to surrender, and was overruled by the Emperor) after the second bomb wiped out a city...but from Maher's teeny-weeny brain comes the idea that a harmless bomb in the ocean would've buckled their knees and their resolve. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight he believes that!! What a truly stunningly stupid man.
And more evidence of his stupidity is his comment about the 9/11 hijackers' "courage."
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 6:29amOct '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
He's said, of the 9/11 hijackers, that "if there's one thing they were, it's courageous." Presumably because they knew they were going to die, and they executed their plan fully.
Now, those hijackers were of a religious fanaticism that glorifies death over life, that had them believing they were going to an eternal place with, what 72 virgins? Does it take courage to hang out with 72 virgins for eternity?
Hell no. Those bastards were the embodiment, the epitome, of cowardice, for doing something that would deliver them to a better place, and in attacking innocent civilians who they knew were unarmed. They didn't take on professional soldiers on a battlefield. They attacked unarmed moms and children and grandparents and thousands of innocent officeworkers.
By NO rational, thinking assessment can the hijackers' actions be interpreted as "courageous." Except in the itty-bitty brain of the fabulously stupid Bill Maher.
Mar '12
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
I've been doing funny on You Tube for 3 years and I'm far from the only conservative doing original political humor on You Tube a long with more serious pieces , but they can defend themeselves.
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 5:01pmWho coined the phrase "Obama is the Fourth Best President" which now has 275,000 views. Well, it wasn't Granny Ann!
I'm more politically correct than Don Rickles but apparently pcness is still strong in the conservative world because some outlets pretend I don't exist. My newest one is based on the Ralph Edwards show This is Your Life. I don't even know where these ideas come from but if I were younger and more liberal I'd probably could work on Leno considering the caliber of their material. I also wrote an original Michelle Obama song You load 16 bags and what do you get another vacation and deeper in debt. I store some of the videos on my bloghttp://www.grannyjanandjihadkitty.com/ and the remainder on you Tube. Barack Obama Loses the Election & North Korea Goes Into Mourning and TipToe through the Tulips are some of my personal favorites on the frontpage of my blog .
Sep '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Not to mention that we didn't have extra bombs to drop around. If I'm not mistaken, there were two (after one was detonated to determine whether the bomb would actually work), so it wasn't feasible to waste one doing that. They did though, as I'm guessing you know, litter the area with pamphlet warnings.
Oct '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
I wanna see Steven Colbert go five rounds with the ghost of Jonathan Swift in the Octagon.
Nov '11
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
I think this Matt Labash piece gets to the heart of this particular matter.
As the subtitle says
It’s hard work, politicizing your whole life.
Good luck to Alf Landon, er Lamont (there I go, politicizing things like your typical hypocritical Rethuglican!)
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Yes, well, full disclosure: I saw the link to this inane little gem on his Twitter stream in the first place.
Aug '11
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Subversive comedy is shtick and is just one aspect of comedy.
Aug '11
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Iowahawk is truly hilarious. My laughter is nearly involuntary, his funniness comes in such unexpected angles.
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 11:18amAug '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
I think the more interesting NYT article might be: "Why the NYT is a Joke."
Coming up with a few dozens reasons wouldn't be difficult. But i think the #1 reason would be: "We make stuff up and call it news. And we get Pulitzer Prizes for doing so!"
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 6:56pmNov '11
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Dan Hanson: Funny Conservatives/Libertarians:
Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Southpark)
Thank you so much!!! I was going to mention this.. They are huge and at the peak of their powers. Love them or hate them, they are certainly not liberal nor leftists. And by the way, they are really huge all over the world.
I would also like to mention the show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Jim Norton, which was a really great show and definitely not liberal.
And why didn´t anybody mention the Great One? I am amazed that noone has mentioned him. Best sense of humor, ever.
Great topic, by the way.
Edited on March 29, 2012 at 2:28pmJun '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
OK, I am so busy lately I don't get to post much so I am late to the party. There is a little something to this. I have tried to incite a little humor on certain threads within this site and not many Ricochetiers ran with it. But on the whole there are plenty of funny conservatives. I cried hallelujah when I discovered The Peoples Cube. Which site is one of the most hilarious and constantly fresh satire sources in the world. See here, here, or here. There should be ample opportunity for a great cross pollination between TPC and Ricochet by the way.
Feb '11
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Alf Lamont is a silly moron and is just putting words on a screen, he's not writing an intelligent argument.
As a regular listener to Dennis Miller's radio show, I'm not concerned about laughs from the right, there is no shortage of young stand-up comics who at least lean right/libertarian. The problem is many have to mute their politics until they get to the top, because The Man in the entertainment biz is a lefty Stalinist. Gosh even Adam Sandler has to be subtle with his rightward leanings.
Feb '12
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Who is Janeane Garofalo? Was she on SNL back in the early 90s? And Bill Maher? He used to have a regular show on ABC (I think), not its just that HBO knock-off. Colbert and Stewart are funny and popular, no doubt though.
George Carlin a liberal? Hmmm, not always. His jokes on the self-esteem movement are closer to what conservatives actually think of it.
Comedians joke about liberals all the time, they just don't let it dominate their material. There are conservative comedians (Jeff Foxworthy) that prefer to create material on other topics rather than politics. Probably because it is one of those topics that one isn't supposed to bring up in polite conversation (that and religion).
I also think conservative don't like political jokes as much as liberals, even when the joke is aimed at liberals. After doing a quick search on top comedians, I found most typically use nonpolitical material.
We may not have our own Bill Maher, but to me that's a good thing.
Jun '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Let's make a bet. In one hundred years (yes, I will be 160 at the time), we'll check to see if Jeanine Garafolo is even a footnote in history. We'll also check whether some of P. J. O'Rourke's books are still in print.
I put my money on P.J.
Nov '10
Re: Why Conservatives Aren't Funny
Norm Macdonald's finest hour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8bsO7eRSDs&t=5m50s