Comedy as a Social Critique

Introduction

Comedy is considered to be one of the most effective forms of social critique. Comedians often criticize different social issues in their jokes, comments, and comics. The aim of social critique in comedy is to criticize different aspects of the society (Adorno, 1983). The way of social critique differs among comedians. For instance, the tone of Family Guy differs from that of South Park.

Comedy has the potential to criticize every social issue that otherwise is not open for discussion. There are different factors that determine the effectiveness of comedic critique. This paper includes an analysis of different factors that determine the effectiveness of comedic critiques. The paper includes the discussion of racial discrimination as an issue that is regularly addressed in comedic critiques.

Discussion

Racial Discrimination as Comedic Critique

One of the social issues criticized by comedy involves racial discrimination. Rush Hour 2 (2001), the sequel to Rush Hour (1998), gained a wealth of commercial success. If measured, the success of these programs equals $226 million in the United States and $329 million worldwide (Ratner, 1998). Rush Hour was followed by Rush Hour 2 that also gained enormous success. Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2 come under the category of action comedy. The film casted African American and Asian that sound alienated to White views. However, the success of the move demonstrates that several viewers liked the movie. After the success of these movies, a number of directors have started to cast Asian or Black leading men.

There are diverse purposes of depicting and portraying stereotyping. The issues of stereotypes serve different functions. The functions serve by stereotyping are often relevant to the context in which they are presented. There are diverse factors that contribute towards the prevalence of stereotype. The depiction of stereotyping in the media is very common. There are different situations that give result in the formation of stereotypes. The formation of stereotype takes place when there is a quick need to communicate information to the audience.

Stereotypes play an important role in the comedy. The issues of stereotypes and discrimination are often presented by the media. The portrayal of racism in comedy has received critical attention. The presence of stereotypes has received both positive and negative comments. According to the arguments supporting the presence of racial stereotype in comedy, it is the parody of the existence of discrimination in the society. The depiction of racial discrimination allows the audience to criticize the existence of this issue. However, according to the counterarguments, the presence of stereotype in comedy augments racial discrimination (King, pp. 34).

Examination of Comedic Material

Comedic materials that have been examined in this study include a comic strip by Aaron McGruder and famous comedy programs including Family Guy and South Park. In the 1940s, the most famous black character that appeared in Timely Comics was "White-Wash". The character looked like a young white boy in black face instead of an actual African American character. The prevalence of racial issues is very ...