Lauren Gutierrez

At one point in time when our TV news came from the big 3 (ABC, NBC, & CBS) Walter Cronkite was “The Most Trusted Man in America”. Now that we have so many more options people are gravitating towards what appeals to them most and what better way for a young person to learn about political issues than through comedy. Jon Stewart hosted The Daily Show for 16 years, his genuine emotions and sincerity are what made him our “political dad” as Trevor Noah put it when he took over the show. Because political comedy is entertaining it is an effective way to consume political news that often is not. I read an article by the National Communication Association that said “One overarching finding is that political comedy appears to promote more cynicism toward politicians, the government, and the media, but also tends to empower citizens to think they can contribute to and make a difference in politics.” It seems to encourage critical thinking and political engagement which sounds pretty promising to me.

This was such a cool article! I took a political communication class last semester so while I read this I was thinking of it through that lens. In the U.S. we are privileged to have freedom of speech and the right to openly mock and criticize our leaders because it’s obviously not the case in other countries. The issue becomes what is or isn’t acceptable when it comes to things like parody of a religion or group of people, especially if they are marginalized in society to begin with. The Colbert Report was a good example of political satire show whose strategy is very effective in engaging young people who are beginning to form their opinions on issues and starting to vote because it’s not only entertaining but informative. Even in a not so political context, parody is of course meant to invoke humor and it is appreciated for its creativity. It’s like a big cultural inside joke.

I like Banksy’s work because socially and politically it has the ability to inspire action. The fact that he remains anonymous only further emphasizes that his goal isn’t to become famous himself, or to “trouser all the cash” as he’s said before, but to make meaningful art. In the film “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, the point was to draw the line between artists like himself or Shepard Fairey and others like Mr. Brainwash who appropriated their art then commercialized it, thereby making it meaningless. It’s interesting to see what’s to come of contemporary art because it is so subjective.