Comedian Responsability

Comedy is a powerful social tool being always at the forefront of social development. Comedy helps to break taboo and instill new values to a society. Comedy often uses contentious themes and picks them apart, in doing so a greater general understanding of political and social issues is gained by a society. Legends such as Bill Hicks were not just entertainers but also preachers of the moral and just. Where politicians tend to eventually become the focus of public disdain comedians are more able to keep the public favour. The messages of the comedians endures, on the whole, for a longer period than most politician's.

Both comedians and politicians are wise to appeal to the public by saying what they know will be well received. This is a message taught to us centuries ago my Machiavelli, but this lesson was taught from the perspective of that public speaker and not the general good of the public. Most people well know that politicians tend to lie when it suits and this is also the case for the artistic embellishment that a comedian gives their stories. The difference is that we look for the humour in what a comedian says, not the political or social context for that humour. As we already tend to have a fondness of the comedian we are listening too we will trust them more than an unfamiliar person or a public figure without charisma. We are also not paying a great deal of attention to the underlying assumptions of the storey and may find ourselves just accepting the premise upon which it has been based.

All of my assertions here surmount to the implication that the messages of a comedian are widely received and regularly accepted throughout society. I would argue that most comedians that are known in a country will have far more sway than most politicians in that country. If this is true it would put them, as a group, second only to media outlets for generating public opinion. With power comes responsibility, the misinformation of comedians may seem like lighthearted harmless fun but I would argue that it serves to retard the progress of society.

I wish to give two reasonably current examples of this damaging effect, one which relates specifically to England and another which is more general. For anyone unfamiliar with English politics I will give the briefest overview of the situation. We have two main political parties which tend to get into power when the other falls out of favour, much like the American system, and so the government oscillates back and forth between these parties. We also have a third party called the Liberal Democrats who have had presence in Parliament but never been in government. The Liberal Democrat party were renown for morals and integrity while the other two bigger players tended to focus on putting the other down. A general election was held in the country in 2010 and neither of the two big parties had enough votes to secure the necessary number of seats to win the election. A coalition between two parties was required making the Liberal Democrats suddenly a lot more relevant in the political scene. The breakdown of seats in Parliament was 307 to the Conservatives, 258 to Labour and 57 to the Liberal Democrats. An unlikely alliance between the more right wing Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats was formed.

In the campaign leading up to the elections of 2010 one of the policies of the Liberal Democrats was to scrap tuition fees at universities. Since the coalitions coming to power the fees, instead of being scrapped, have gone up by almost three fold. The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has since been ripped apart by the comedy circuit. His name has become synonymous with spineless, cowardly, subservient and dishonest. People are annoyed by the raises to fees and want someone they can focus their anger on, they require a scapegoat to blame. Comedians are pandering to this misguided rage towards Nick Clegg by getting easy cheap laughs at his expense and cementing these views in place. People want to hear harsh remarks regarding Nick Clegg and so the comedians respond to maintain their popularity.

I would argue that this is very damaging, not just to the Liberal Democrats but also to our political system in general. The Liberal Democrats are not in power, they have just over a sixth of the number of seats as their "partners" in government. Even if it were an equal coalition they would presumably have to evenly share the policy choices with the Conservatives. The fact that a liberal party can have an influence on the Conservatives is a good thing but we should not get carried away and allow ourselves to think that all the policies we voted for via the Liberal Democrats will be enacted. I have been bemused by these occurrences and pity Nick Clegg who has achieved great things for his party and is in a good position to further liberalism in the country.

The second example is that of the collapse in the global economy over the last year or so. This has been widely blamed on bankers which is not only a massive generalisation but also quite unreasonable. They have played their part in the problems but are by no means the sole cause. We, the people, have accepted credit and loans that have been beyond our means or speculative. We live in a capitalist society, one where competition and striving for profit drives change and development. It is not the greed of the bankers alone that has brought us to where we are but a whole populous of greed. The bankers are required to try and make as much as they can within the confines of the system. Any failing they may make on a society wide level is not a reflection of their flaws or greed, but a reflection of the endemic greed brought about by capitalist values, the financial impatience brought about by inflation and a failing of the system itself (I suggest reading Hyman P. Minsky for greater insight into these issues). Comedians have been getting cheap laughs from bankers as well as Nick Clegg, I find a joke at someone else's expense humorous only when deserved, which neither of these are.

Perhaps it is because we like to have a face we can blame that we generalise the cause of so many current issues. I do not wish to explore that side of the debate at the moment as I have been rambling far longer than intended. I wish to conclude with a simple plea to comedians to continue to lead the way in social development and not succumb to getting the easy laugh from the current witch-hunt if it is not based entirely in truth. The plain truth is often the funniest as well being for the greater good. If we are not careful we will end up with situations like when a paediatrician was lynched by a very ignorant mob who assumed he was a child molester.