Sara Schaefer wrote a poignant article for The Herald (7/29/2017) about telling Trump jokes in the current era.
Burnt out vs. ready for more
She notes that some people, even liberals, are just tired of hearing about him, some are just tired of all the yelling, but others want her to go after him.
It’s tempting to give in to these people – because they will respond very enthusiastically to anything I say about him. But I have to be careful, because I feel like if I pander to this faction too much, I’m at risk of falling into virtue-signalling in exchange for “clapter.” Clapter is when an audience claps for a plainly-made point, instead of laughing at a well-crafted joke. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m all for a strategic clapter moment. But this isn’t a Ted Talk. It’s a comedy show. Preach responsibly.
This is a slight deviation to the definition of clapter, which we previously defined as agreement, rather than humor. This would have it that they clap despite the form, the the point were less plainly-made, more couched in a well-crafted joke, the claps might signal humor support [I’ll get to this directly].
Nevertheless, the point is well made: comics on the left have a decision to make. On the one hand, they can avoid the issue and just try to be innocuously funny; on the other, they can please part of the audience and potentially alienate the rest. This latter route has many dangers.
The dangers
Social media
Social media has also ignited a tidal wave of stupidity never before seen in the United States. Intentional misunderstandings and bad-faith interpretations of art have led to all-out campaigns to shut down comedians’ entire careers. So nevermind the sensitivity of individual buttholes in my audience, I’m now worried if I’ll become the target of a harassment campaign by the alt-right. Will they come to my show? Will they heckle? Will they disrupt?
Yes, we’ve noted some of the effects here, like Kathy Griffin’s photo and other bad-faith interpretations of art. I side with those who note that despite their jibes, these facists and neo-nazis are some of the most sensitive snowflakes out there. Nevertheless, their sensitivity bleeds over onto others.
Chilling effect
And it’s not just the comedians that feel this, it’s the audience too. When I open my show with a joke about Trump, you can tell that everyone in the room feels like a line is being drawn. They’re worried: “What if the comedian forces me to publicly identify which side I’m on?” Stand-up comedy, by nature, is awkward enough without having to worry about sparking a civil war. Of course, these things are subtle – and almost always amount to nothing more than tiny ripples in the atmosphere. But they’re always there, humming in the background.
Yes, people came to a comedy show to get away from their lives, and to experience pleasure in the presence of others. When they’re asked to take sides in a political debate, that can decrease their pleasure. Such an effect has been called “chilling,” it makes everyone more self-aware and therefore careful, with broad consequences.
Her models
Schaefer tells us that the nation is tense in the Trump era: it’s “A nationwide epidemic of tight buttholes,” and her goal, therefore, is to,
[M]asterfully manipulate the buttholes of my audience. OK, that sounds really bad. (Or really good, depending on what you’re into.) What I’m trying to say is that I’ve found ways to release the tension with my audience, gradually build their trust, and then surprise them along the way. I’m interested in finding common ground, and I find that most of my audiences appreciate this.
So here we see a number of models for humor: relief/tension release and surprise (incongruity) – both after a sufficient buildup of trust. She also talks about humor “resonating” with the audience, which is more of a model of a loving relationship.
Caveats
Schaefer also realizes you can’t please everyone:
Of course, there is always that one guy who sits within plain view and refuses to laugh the entire show. Arms crossed, he sulks, openly hating me and every inch of my being. I try not to look at him, but it’s hard to ignore when one person is doing their damnedest to suck the oxygen out of the room solely using his rectum. I used to hate this guy. I would be in my head, screaming: “Why are you here? Did you not do one second of research? You could have easily figured out that you hated me via a simple Google search! Just leave! I Don’t care!”
Eventually, I came to accept the presence of this breed of man at my shows. He can try to Trump my comedy (pun intended), but I will not be deterred, and maybe one day I’ll figure out a way to loosen even his butthole. One can only hope.
Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Additions?
