What words get our attention? How does the way we use words shape what others think and feel?
A few weeks back on Morning Feature we talked about frames and how to create frames to make our point. Our discussion led us to think that the most effective frames are ones that come from the gut and do not require a lot of analysis. The frames that we just "feel" are the most powerful.
The frames that reach me generally involve humor.
Let's go below the fold. (After you, Alphonse. No no, Gaston, after you.)
I think that what makes humor so effective at getting a point across is that it reaches you on a visceral level. When you laugh out loud, your body chemistry changes. When your laughter is tied to the political point being made, the connection is much stronger.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
You may have heard the old adage: Laughter is the best medicine. So why is that?
"Laughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.
More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better."
The physiological study of laughter has it’s own name – gelotology. Researchers have observed what happens when we hear a joke:
- The left side of the cortex (the layer of cells that covers the entire surface of the forebrain) analyzed the words and structure of the joke.
- The brain's large frontal lobe, which is involved in social emotional responses, became very active.
- The right hemisphere of the cortex carried out the intellectual analysis required to "get" the joke.
- Brainwave activity then spread to the sensory processing area of the occipital lobe (the area on the back of the head that contains the cells that process visual signals).
- Stimulation of the motor sections evoked physical responses to the joke.
This is different from what happens with emotional responses. Emotional responses appear to be confined to specific areas of the brain, while laughter seems to be produced via a circuit that runs through many regions of the brain.
Humor researcher Peter Derks describes laughter response as "a really quick, automatic type of behavior." "In fact, how quickly our brain recognizes the incongruity that lies at the heart of most humor and attaches an abstract meaning to it determines whether we laugh," he says.
The incongruity theory:
suggests that humor arises when logic and familiarity are replaced by things that don't normally go together. Researcher Thomas Veatch says a joke becomes funny when we expect one outcome and another happens. When a joke begins, our minds and bodies are already anticipating what's going to happen and how it's going to end. That anticipation takes the form of logical thought intertwined with emotion and is influenced by our past experiences and our thought processes. When the joke goes in an unexpected direction, our thoughts and emotions suddenly have to switch gears. We now have new emotions, backing up a different line of thought.
Those who make us laugh are the jokers and they play a very important role in society and in the workplace (or public square).
Since mediaeval times the joker, jester, fool, or clown has been a privileged individual able to comment upon social structure, and parody rules, and authority while remaining immune from repercussions.
snip
Although instances of humor are often multifunctional, the jokers use humor to fulfill some key functions in their workplaces. Four key functions of the jokers were identified and discussed and form the focus of this paper: challenging management; pushing the boundaries; developing the culture; and providing relief.
The Political Game Changers – Hit Me in the Gut
Here is a short quiz. From each set of quotes below, choose the one that hits you in the gut:
a. "Suppose you are an idiot. Then suppose you are a member of congress. But I repeat myself." – Mark Twain
b. "Congress is a bunch of freakin' idiots!!". – Anonymous Blogger
a. "I am not a member of an organized political party, I’m a Democrat" – Will Rogers
b. "HARRY REID...GET A SPINE!" – Anonymous Blogger
a. "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt." – Abraham Lincoln
b. "STFU! – Anonymous Blogger
(Scoring: Count your a’s. If you scored 2 or higher, continue reading, otherwise hit Home and find an Open Thread)
The quotes convey similar sentiments but which one makes you laugh and creates a memory or a strong feeling because it is clever and/or humorous?
The Steven Colbert appearance at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner exposed the too-close relationship between the people who cover the White House and the White House. His speech made it impossible to look at the White House press corps the same way again.
But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the Decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!"
DailyKos diary with transcript: http://www.dailykos.com/...
And that was a game changer.
Quotes of the Day
Which one-liners, satire or riffs do you think have impacted political discourse? How can humor be used to reach others and change their minds or reinforce your own points?
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
-- Albert Einstein
"You can have your own opinion, but you can't have your own facts."
-- Daniel P. Moynihan
"Conservatives care about children from conception all the way up until birth."
-- Barney Frank
"It's better to have a bleeding heart than none at all"
-- Robert J. Elisberg
"Republicans are like farmers who milk a cow without feeding it, and then act surprised when it dies".
-- Anonymous blogger
"If you can’t afford a boat, and are standing tiptoe in the water, the rising tide goes up your nose."
-- Barney Frank
"If Barack Obama could somehow bring about world peace, they'd blame him for destroying the defense industry."
-- Alan Grayson
"I guess when you pull your rebuttal out of your ass it needs time to dry overnight before you can send it through the fax machine" (Vote No on 1)
- Bill in Portland Maine
"Anyone who told you to be yourself couldn't have given you worse advice".
-- Anonymous blogger
"99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name".
-- One of the 1%
As always, the purpose of Morning Feature is to offer a topic and start a conversation. Ready, set, go...
Update: From the Comments
- Lewis Black
- George Carlin
- Bill Maher
- Molly Ivins (sorry Molly)
...
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