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A Decade of Dark Humor How Comedy, Irony, and Satire Shaped Post 9/11 America

A Decade of Dark Humor How Comedy, Irony, and Satire Shaped Post 9/11 America. Edited by Ted Gournelos and Viveca Greene Presented by Kate Olson. Introduction.

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A Decade of Dark Humor How Comedy, Irony, and Satire Shaped Post 9/11 America

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  1. A Decade of Dark HumorHow Comedy, Irony, and Satire Shaped Post 9/11 America Edited by Ted Gournelos and Viveca Greene Presented by Kate Olson

  2. Introduction • “There is however, a counternarrative to 9/11 discourse, in which the past decade can be characterized as much by dissent- often in the form of ironic or humorous expression- as by acceptance of simplified notions of good and evil and of amplified state power. From this perspective, far from being an end to anything, 9/11 represents the beginning of a reinvigorated opposition movement to dominant media, industry, political, and economic interests” (Gournelos and Greene 2011, xi).

  3. Introduction • “The chapters in this volume demonstrate that humor, irony, and satire were not only shaped by 9/11 and its aftermath, but were also pivotal in shaping responses to the events- especially as their practitioners combated the foreclosure and silencing of discourse and (re) opened and reinvigorated an active, contested public sphere” (Gournelos and Greene 2011, xii).

  4. “The Politics of Fear”

  5. Everything Changed Forever (Temporarily)Late-Night Television Comedy after 9/11-David Gurney • “Although many critics and scholars dismiss comedians as either politically insignificant or as opportunists exploiting social idiosyncrasies for cheap laughs, many of these humorists serve at least two critical public functions: first, they comment upon and reveal potential failings or hypocrisies of American society, especially those perpetrated by individuals in positions of political and/or economic power; second, and less overtly, they function as supplemental gatekeepers and farmers in the agenda-setting work of the media” (Gurney 2011, 3).

  6. Questions • Do you believe that comedians on late night television cross the line when it comes to politics? • Do you believe that comedians are getting ridiculed for what we are actually thinking? • After 9/11 do you recall comedy turning towards a serious side?

  7. “Where Was King Kong When We Needed Him?”Public Discourse, Digital Disaster Jokes, and the Functions of Laughter after 9/11-Giselinde Kuipers • “Jokes cannot be understood as a means of coping with grief and suffering. Rather, they are a comment on the serious and mournful tone of public discourse and media culture surrounding the events of 9/11, and a way for jokesters, for a variety of reasons, to separate themselves from that obligatory response” (Kuipers 2011, 21).

  8. Questions • Do you believe that humor sheds light on a tragic situation? • What do you think of collaged pictures depicting 9/11?

  9. “The Arab is the New Nigger”African American Comics Confront the Irony & Tragedy of 9/11-Lanita Jacobs • “This was especially true of 9/11 humor marking a racial divide in the ethnic group(s) targeted by terrorists and the perceived impact of September 11 on Black versus White Americans” (Jacobs 2011, 52).

  10. Questions • According to the quote, do you believe this incident did in fact create an even larger racial divide? • How is race prevalent in media, especially after 9/11?

  11. Humor, Terror, and DissentThe Onion after 9/11Jamie Warner • “After 9/11, prophetic dualism became the powerful interpretive frame for much of the United States. In what follows, I argue that The Onion refused to be governed by this frame. The Onion, as Magill suggests above and as Rosenblatt accused, took neither Good nor Evil very seriously. Specifically instead of directly criticizing the Bush administration and their dualistic rhetoric, The Onion used the multicolored nature of ironic satire to judge and to ridicule the stark dualism of Good versus Evil” (Warner 2011, 64).

  12. Questions • What elements make The Onion popular if it is basically a satirical parody of a newspaper?

  13. “Zero Dark Thirty” Trailer • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtWcvCxPhc

  14. “United 93” Trailer • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz9BTKO_plI

  15. “No End in Sight” Trailer • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vINM0CAysc8

  16. “Act of Valor” Trailer • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35b_UqGYZgw

  17. “Fahrenheit 9/11” • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwLT_8S_Tuo

  18. Video Questions • How can we understand the impact this has on us? • How are they so different? • Why are they so different?

  19. Works Cited • Gournelos, Ted, and Viveca Greene. A Decade of Dark Humor: How Comedy, Irony, and Satire Shaped Post-9/11 America. Jackson: University of Mississippi, 2011. Print. Academic Honor Pledge On my honor, I have read the assignedmaterial in its entirety, and I have not given, received, or witnessed any unauthorizedcollaboration on this work

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