This is a Laughing Matter: Stand-Up Comedy Tactics and their Facilitation of Routine Creation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v13i3.7566Keywords:
stand-up comedy, comedy, politics, political polarization, alternative discourse, political discourse, political stand-up comedy, stand-up comedy creation, comedic tactics, rhetorical tactics, donald trump, joseph biden, political behavior, group polarizationAbstract
The rise of political polarization in America has contributed to a demand for alternative forms of political discourse, notably political stand-up comedy. This shift toward comedic expression in politics is attributed to humor’s accessibility in presenting divergent perspectives. Previous research has primarily dissected political stand-up comedy through the content analysis of individual comedian’s routines, without addressing how comedians’ tactics can then translate to original routine creation. Filling this gap is pivotal to increasing political stand-up comedy creation. Thus, this study integrates data from a content analysis across multiple comedians into the production of an original political stand-up comedy routine. By doing so, it offers novel insight into how preferred stand-up tactics can foster the development of original political stand-up comedy routines. The findings indicate that comedians frequently employ tactics that invoke a sense of superiority over a third party, and that implementing these tactics does facilitate the creative process.
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