The Role Of Humor In International Relations

Decent Essays
Humor, as defined in Oxford dictionary, is the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech . Nowadays, humor has taken a dimension that is beyond entertainment; it became a tool to convey political/depressive messages in a humoristic cover –such as political satire- providing a product that is smoother to understand, and getting people to think more critically in the public political square. In a world where global problems are still prevailing, few might suggest that humor or political satire is the solution to overcome these problems. However, the foundation of political satire is believed to have existed in the 4Th Century BCE, in Greece, where the blending of serious political and religious topics …show more content…
Comedy in IR:
The debate in question concerning the role of humor in International Relations rests in whether comedy can provide just as an effective form of political education as realism.
Richard Ned argues that that a tragic understanding of politics provides the ideal ontological and epistemological foundations for a theory in International Relations. Ned calls for analyzing the ‘deep structure’ of the narratives that tackle International Relations theory in a way that examines the structures of the different stories that convey political realism . On the other hand, Ian Hall challenges Richard Ned, and argues that other literary modes of representing social life, such as satire, can provide equally solid bases for international theories .
Humor in Conventional Political Processes:
This section addresses the extensive use of satire in government and in reporting governmental activities. For instance, Michael Rhea explains that arguments may be won through humor. Moreover, Rhea describes how humor has been used in presidential debates to identify with audiences and gain consistent coverage of the press . He adds that humor has three important aspects that contribute to in political communication research. First, humor is a significant form of campaign communication. Second, humor is unexpected and memorable. Third, the use of satire can have a significant impact on a candidate perception

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