I was just wondering what everyone hear thinks about the notion that comedy has a politically left bias?
Having knowledge of economics and history have seemed to retard my enjoyment of comedians because most of their jokes, one liners and routines, are usually sympathetic to the left. How many good comedians can you think of that can make jokes about the minimum wage and how it hurts the poor, instead of making fun of corporations with unprecedented profits, but $4 gas. I mean are there any right wing comedians, and are they even funny?, maybe Dennis Miller.
Maybe It is just 60's which sparked revolt. And politics and culture usually go hand in hand. And the 60's gave us the best comedians(Bruce, Carlin, Pryor ect.) But how many comedians get laughs usually lampooning the State in general, save your usual politician jokes?
Am I over-analyzing or is it just normal for comedy to embrace the opposing view of the present status qua.
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If Pro is the opposite of Con. What is the opposite of Progress?
I always assumed conservatives were born without a sense of humour.
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Andrew:Am I over-analyzing or is it just normal for comedy to embrace the opposing view of the present status qua.
I think comedy in general has to appeal to the most people possible to be successful, which is why so many of the subjects seem overdone. There are realtively few things that everyone listening will have personal experience with.
When it comes to political comedy, I prefer the Daily Show and Colbert Report even though they both are obviously biased to the left. They poke fun at the left very often, and don't avoid it when they do something stupid. On the other hand, you know exactly where they stand politically without trying too hard to figure it out either.
I think the biggest factor might be who the president is actually. When there is a republican in office (especially one who gives as many opportunities for jokes as Bush) you are going to see a definite lean to the left in respect to comedy.
Doug Stanhope, louis c.k., and george carlin of course
Check out some Thomas Woods lectures. Although not a comedian, he is a libertarian, and just the way he presents history is hilarious. Check out the up and coming podcast Mises Circle:Who Killed the Constitution. It should be out in a few weeks. I bet he would do well at a comedy club in LA with this topic, since the stuff he talks about in Who Killed the Constitution is common ground for liberals and libertarians, and perhaps even some conservatives.
ViennaSausage: Check out some Thomas Woods lectures. Although not a comedian, he is a libertarian, and just the way he presents history is hilarious. Check out the up and coming podcast Mises Circle:Who Killed the Constitution. It should be out in a few weeks. I bet he would do well at a comedy club in LA with this topic, since the stuff he talks about in Who Killed the Constitution is common ground for liberals and libertarians, and perhaps even some conservatives.
I will look into some of his stuff, actually. IMO, I think libertarian's have an untapped potential in comedy as a means of delivering "the message", so to speak. Stanhope is more blunt about his status than say Carlin (r.i.p.), but he is one of only 5 I could consider vaugley libertarian. At times, especially in his book, Lewis Black sounds like a social-libertarian, although for the most part I think he only remains political in an anti-establishment sense, and not in any definite bias or attitude (unlike the hack Carlos Mencia, who seems to get a scary glaze in his eye everytime he talks about how "great" America is). Comedians, I think for the most part, realize the anti-establishment value of politics in routines, but realize otherwise it's treading a fine line with your audience, you risk alienation. I typically find that "the greats" know when to be apolitical, and when to be political. Lenny Bruce, I would say, was probably the most successful political comedian, and probably the most radical the left had to offer (I'm not so sure now, as there are many more to choose from nowadays).That being said, I think eventually the market will respond & we'll be seeing more libertarian comedians and/or personalities that don't necessarily break into mainstream, but don't stay purley underground either. I'm actually surprised by the amount of exposure some libertarians / anarchists get via youtube (BP, Xomniverse, Molyneux, etc.); then again, I also hold a fairly cynical view of youtube whenever I read the typical comments on a given video :).
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Carlin said in an interview with Hannity and Colmbs he would fall left of center because he "cares more about people than property rights".
Bill Hicks I would say was a libertarian comic. Penn & Teller 's Bullshit is funny as hell. Penn is a libertarian, though not a real comic.
Is it possible for conservatives to be funny?
Andrew:Is it possible for conservatives to be funny?
Colbert, oh wait, he really isn't conservative, just plays a funny one.
I'd say Colin Quinn and Norm McDonald are conservatives.
Norm McDonald once joked about Amsterdam and how his father, who fought to Liberate it in WWII would be spinning in his grave if he saw it today.
Laissez faire et laissez passer, le monde va de lui même
I find George Bush and Ann Coulter pretty funny. I think the latter is a troll with a paycheck. BTW, the ironic thing is that in Britain it is the Tories who are known for their colorful personalities, jovial attitudes and, for lack of a better word, utter absence of sexual inhibitions (provided we're talking about heterosexual acts...)
-Jon
To darkness I condemn you...
There's Cap'n Awesome on Youtube; although he mainly focuses his ire against religion, he is still an admited anarchist who even referenced Rothbard in one of his videos.
You can't take the sky from me.
I think you might be over analyzing..it's normal for the status quo (regardless of party) to poked and prodded by comedians. Bill Maher is a pretty good libertarian comedian or talk show host.
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jmw: I think you might be over analyzing..it's normal for the status quo (regardless of party) to poked and prodded by comedians. Bill Maher is a pretty good libertarian comedian or talk show host.
Maher, while capable of being funny, is a social-libertarian at best.
Angurse: I'd say Colin Quinn and Norm McDonald are conservatives. Norm McDonald once joked about Amsterdam and how his father, who fought to Liberate it in WWII would be spinning in his grave if he saw it today.
For a Conservative, I thought the Colin Quinn undertaking known as "Tough Crowd" was uncharactertistically open-minded; he came off more about being a blue-collar worker than Conservative, imo. The debates / arguments were messy & obviously biased but it was brilliant (& highly under-rated) comedy.Hopefully, it is released on DVD soon.
Aren't a lot of blue-collar workers conservative anyway?
You have got to be kidding me...No one has mentioned South Park? It is one of the funniest shows on TV and almost always has a libertarian message. Carlin didn't strike me as a libertarian, but simply as someone who was capable of seeing the absurdity of the state. Penn and Teller can be funny at times, and are both libertarians.
"I cannot prove, but am prepared to affirm, that if you take care of clarity in reasoning, most good causes will take care of themselves, while some bad ones are taken care of as a matter of course." -Anthony de Jasay
Stolz2525:When it comes to political comedy, I prefer the Daily Show and Colbert Report even though they both are obviously biased to the left. They poke fun at the left very often, and don't avoid it when they do something stupid.
I saw colbert's show the other night and he actually mocked the people who were making fun of Obama's ridiculous "inflate your tires" energy plan. After that you can't claim the guy is anything but a socialist hack who occasionaly tells a joke. And don't get me started on jon stewart what a smug and unfuny *** that guy is. His whole show basicaly consists of him making funny faces and stupid sarcastic remarks, you might like him but don't ever call him a comedian, comedians tell jokes, Jon Stewart watches videos and than regurgitates his writers moronic one liners.
Solid_Choke:You have got to be kidding me...No one has mentioned South Park? It is one of the funniest shows on TV and almost always has a libertarian message.
Oh I love South Park and they do have libertarian messages but of course most people are to damn stupid to notice them. Just ask Richard Dawkins.
Jon Irenicus: Aren't a lot of blue-collar workers conservative anyway? -Jon
In comparison to libertarians, yea, although most blue-collar workers I've met / know tend to be centrists though.
Solid_Choke: You have got to be kidding me...No one has mentioned South Park? It is one of the funniest shows on TV and almost always has a libertarian message. Carlin didn't strike me as a libertarian, but simply as someone who was capable of seeing the absurdity of the state. Penn and Teller can be funny at times, and are both libertarians.
I might've mentioned them if the thread hadn't focused on stand-up / personalities; odd though that it wasn't mentioned by anyone else though. I really have to credit South Park for getting the abrusdity of Statism (if not everything else they manage to cover) down pat. I think their best moment, by far, was the war between the 3 Different Athiest Leagues. Just genius.
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