Laughs With Lindsey

Paige brought up many interesting points in her lead blog post, but I'd specifically like to focus on one aspect: not the fact that people can be swayed by political satire, but more specifically  whose opinions are affected by those of others. To put it as a question, who is the most susceptible to influence, and why? I would assert that Paige's example of a conservative reexamining his political views and reconsidering his support of Trump as a result of his friend's off-handed comment is highly unlikely. Why? Because he has already made up his mind, and is likely to dismiss his friend's jab at the Trump administration as either a joke or a misinformed critique. I think it's possible for people's views to drastically change, just not that rapidly, and not because of such an insignificant interaction. Rather, my (largely anecdotal) assertion is that those who are most vulnerable to the influences of political satire and the opinions of others are: A) the uninf...

I thought Lucy's post did a great job of explaining why viewers find The Office  so hilarious. Although it is not my favorite sitcom of all time, it would definitely be included in my top five, and I can't help but laugh every time I rewatch an old episode. I agree almost completely with Lucy's analysis of the character of Michael Scott: we laugh at him because we feel his intelligence and social graces are inferior to ours (the superiority theory). However, I would also assert that our amusement is partially a result of the incongruity theory and the benign violation theory. For example, Michael makes many inappropriately-timed jokes that don't really apply to the situation at hand. When Michael shows up to Dwight's wedding unexpectedly, Dwight says, "I can't believe you came!" to which Michael replies, "That's what she said." This is a touching and heartfelt moment, and the audience can't help but laugh as it's interrupted (but ...

I found Paige's lead blog post interesting and quite refreshing. I've of course heard the expression "laughter is the best medicine," and I've always been told that laughing is good for you in many ways, but I never knew any practical applications of this theory in regards to psychotherapy. I recently took up yoga, and this has been a great outlet and stress reliever for me. When I can't make it to the PAC or there aren't any group fitness yoga classes that fit into my schedule, I pull up a YouTube video from the channel Yoga With Adriene and practice on my own time in my own room. Stress relievers can come in many forms and can vary in effective for each person, but Paige's example of smiling or laughing for no reason as a way to relieve tension reminds me a lot of a recurring theme in Adriene's videos: she encourages her viewers to smile while they practice. Between reminders to check your posture, stop clenching your shoulders, or be mindful of ...

I found Caroline's topic choice absolutely hilarious. I had never heard of John Mulaney before now, although his face did seem very familiar; however, I watched with with amusement the three clips attached to Caroline's post, and I fully intend to procrastinate on other homework through the use of Mulaney's hour-long Netflix specials. His anecdote about his bad driving was hilarious, and although I would agree that his self-deprecation in indeed a form of reverse-superiority theory, I believe that this specific example implements more of the relief theory - he makes light of what can be, in reality, a very frustrating encounter with a bad driver. Instead of getting mad ad Mulaney or people who lack the same skills he does, he encourages them to laugh at the ridiculousness of a full-grown, relatively successful man who doesn't realize he's in the wrong lane. His skit reminded me of a scene from the hit sitcom Family Guy, in which Peter swears to a future of abstinenc...

I read Alexis' analysis of this Cody Ko video before watching it, and I must say that she brought up some good points. Her assertion that both the benign-violation and superiority theory are utilized here was clearly spot on, although they were not used very effectively: Cody and Noel's use of mocking comes off more as cruel than benign. Furthermore, the superiority theory applies more to the TLC Virgin Diaries series itself than to their ridiculing of it. Regardless of one's virginity or lack thereof, anyone could laugh at Skippy because of his awkwardness and even creepiness in some instances. His actions are truly cringe-worthy. However, I would argue that Cody and Noel's video eliminated my initial amusement through superiority over Skippy due to my fear of being perceived as smug or downright dick-ish, as the two came off to me. I didn't think their video was funny at all. I found it lacking in creativity, and I think their vulgar language, contrary to what Ale...