"poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" - Percy Bysshe Shelley

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Why is satire seemingly exclusively a left wing thing? Why can't those on the right do satire?

I have this sense that it has a lot to do with the fact that right wing audiences are willing to accept jokes that go against their beliefs, not because of anything inherent in being conservative, but because it's expected that you will laugh at left wing things. On the contrary, if you try to make right wing based jokes in a left wing crowd you will get crickets.

The entertainment industry is largely progressive; this must lead to lots of navel gazing and in-jokes that end up with a progressive slant. If you like jokes, but also like telling people what they should be doing in their bedroom, then you're out of luck, both as a performer and an audience.

Is this something new? What role does education play? The college educated, ivory tower, latte sipping, lefty ratbag types now seem to be engaging in politics exclusively through satire. I'm not sure how prevalent it is there, but I know people here whose only exposure to US politics is TDS and Colbert. How does it change one's viewpoint if they are engaging through satire.

Are there funny right wingers? Examples would be nice. I think in the context of this conversation it is worth thinking of Glenn Beck as a vaudeville act, but perhaps he is satire that is taken seriously; maybe Beck and Colbert are doing the exact same thing, they just come off as different because audience interpretation.


I'll finish on this thought; we've recently had our comedy festival here in Melbourne, which along with Montreal and Edinburgh are the biggest and most important in the world. Comedians can make quite easy transfers between Canada, the UK, NZ and Australia; indeed, there is a comedy 'scene' that settles around these three festivals, many comedians make their living basing their residence and tours around these dates and places. However, going to America is different. Tim Minchin, who admittedly is an atheist and very anti-christian, is huge here and in the UK, but he is only just about to go on his first US tour... To Seattle. Other comedians have told stories of getting away from the coasts in the US and being run out of venues by angry mobs.

So, in conclusion, can you be Right and Funny? Insert your examples herein.

(ps. excuse the poor post quality, I can't be bothered making it better :P)


ETA: There's lots of Libertarian funnyfolk out there, so I think I need to reassess this to ask "Why can't conservatives be funny?"

A new day for Canada

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

In yesterday’s Canadian federal elections Stephen Harper’s Conservatives won a clear majority, putting to an end 7 years of minority ruling that led to 4 elections. We also saw a rapid uprise in seats for the NDP moving them into official federal opposition status for the first time in their history.

For those that don’t understand our political system, you need 155 out of the 308 seats in the House of Commons to form a majority government. As we are not a 2 party system, or even a 3 party system this has proved difficult to do at times. If a party receives less than 155 yet still holds the most seats, that party’s leader becomes Prime Minister.

There is still much polling and analysis to be done to find out what exactly led to last night’s results. These are my thoughts on why it happened.
( my musings behind the cut )

Osama macro + some thoughts on the War on Terror

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

In accordance with the requirements for posting/discussing cartoons (I hope macros are accepted too), here's my visual intro:

( Cartoon, or maybe macro, I dunno how you call that )

I think the point is very clear. But still. Although it may sound cynical to say it at this moment of utter joy for so many people in the world who are ecstatic from the news about Bin Laden's death (and quite deserved joy, I must add), and forgetting the obvious conspiratorial associations that come with the fact that ultimately, he was "created" by the CIA and has later come to bite us in the ass... Here's another point one could make...

There were questions about the possible ways to achieve *real* change and *real* results in the so-called War on Terror. Here are my proposals.

Several steps. It's simple. Stop indirectly funding various terrorist organizations (now labeled with the collective term "Al Qaeda"):

( 5 steps actually )

The social politics of shaming fat kids

[futurebird.livejournal.com]

Here's what the state of Georgia is doing to "fight obesity" putting up ad like this one.:


( Read more... )

War on the Poor

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

The ongoing operations in Libya (and its attendant political ambiguity wrt Ghadaffi), as well as the recent killing of Osama bin Laden have brought an issue to to my mind. When we usually speak of "war on the poor", we generally concentrate on domestic political and economic actions. Historically speaking, however, the "war on the poor" has been entrenched deeply into martial conflict. The inherent classism involved in war is best expressed by the "civilized" standard of not "assassinating" foreign leaders.
( Cut. )

Martyrs and heroes: what next with Al Qaeda?

[mintogrubb.livejournal.com]

Ok, so I am going to stick my neck out and say that there ain't no Tooth Fairy, no little green men on Mars and that Osama bin Laden is actually dead.

Yes, I know that the CIA can do wunnerful things with CGI and video tapes and whatever these days, but I still think that those Septics across the pond are telling us the truth when they say they put a man on the Moon and that they just took out bin Laden.

So, what next? Is Al Qaeda goin to implode without its leader, or will legions of volunteers be stepping forward to conduct suicide missions to avenge him? ( Read more... )