Laughing Matters: Humor and American Politics in the Media Age / Edition 1

by Jody Baumgartner

Overview

A recent Pew study found that a growing percentage of young people claim to gain their knowledge of current political news from sources like the political sketches of Saturday Night Live, the scathing expose of Bowling for Columbine, the political satire of South Park and The Simpsons, and the sardonic mockery of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or The Onion.

But how does political humor influence politics? Laughing Matters presents original research-both quantitative and qualitative-to explore the various forms political humor takes in the modern media as well as the various ways in which political humor influences politics. In the end one thing will be clear: in American politics, laughing does indeed matter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900415957488
Publication date:	08/22/2007
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Jody Baumgartner is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University.

Jonathan S. Morris is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University.

Table of Contents

Tables, Boxes, and Figures     xi
Preface: The "Truthiness" of American Politics     xiii
Acknowledgments     xxiii
Foundations: Humor and Politics
The Influence of "Infoenterpropagainment": Exploring the Power of Political Satire as a Distinct Form of Political Humor   Rachel Paine Caufield     3
Serious Comedy: Expanding the Boundaries of Political Discourse   Geoffrey Baym     21
More Than Laughing? Survey of Political Humor Effects Research   Josh Compton     39
Political Humor in the World Beyond Television
Political Cartoons: Zeitgeists and the Creation and Recycling of Satirical Symbols   Alleen Pace Nilsen   Don L. F. Nilsen     67
New Humor, Old School Style: A Content Analysis of the Political Cues Offered by The Onion on the 2000 and 2004 Elections   Geoffrey Sheagley   Paula L. O'Loughlin   Timothy Lindherg     81
Vote for Pedro: Film Comedy, Youth, and Electoral Politics   Eric Shouse   Todd Fraley     97
Air Amusement versus Web Wit: Comparing the Use of Humor in 2004 Political Advertising on Television and the Internet   Monica Postelnicu   Lynda Lee Kaid     117
American Youth and the Effects of Online Political Humor   Jody C Baumgartner     131
Ready for Prime Time?Televised Political Humor
Our First Cartoon President: Bill Clinton and the Politics of Late Night Comedy   David Niven   S. Robert Lichter   Daniel Amundson     151
Political Punditry in Punchlines: Late Night Comics Take on the 2004 Presidential Debates   Josh Compton     171
A Culture War in TV Land? The Sitcom Viewing Habits of Bush and Kerry Voters   Peter L. Francia     187
The ABCs of the The Simpsons and Politics: Apathy of Citizens, Basic Government Leaders, and Collective Interests   Nicholas Guehlstorf   Lars Hallstrom   Jonathan Morris     211
Saturday Night Live and Presidential Elections   Ben Voth     229
The Daily Show as the New Journalism: In Their Own Words   Dannagal Goldthwaite Young     241
Does It Really Matter? The Effects of Late Night Televised Humor
Late Night Comedy Television Shows as News Sources: What the Polls Say   Paul Brewer   Xiaoxia Cao     263
"It's Better Than Being Informed": College-Aged Viewers of The Daily Show   Brandon Rottinghaus   Kenton Bird   Travis Ridout   Rebecca Self     279
The Political Effects of Late Night Comedy and Talk Shows   Patricia Moy     295
The Daily Show and Attitudes toward the News Media   Jonathan S. Morris   Jody C Baumgartner     315
Conclusion: Why Political Humor Is Serious Business   Doris Graber     333
Editors     343
Contributors     345
Index     355