Abstract
This introductory chapter details the goals of the book, defines the scope of political humor and the rhetorical tools through which this humor is circulated verbally, also presenting a brief theoretical approach guiding the subsequent chapters. This is followed by three sections addressing key aspects in the study and analysis of political humor, considered among the different contributions: First, that humoristic expressions related to politics can be employed for good and bad purposes, illustrated by a discussion of the role played by stereotypes and prejudice in creating ethno-national humor; second, that members of the public, the political elite, and the media employ humorous expressions in politics while using different means for different goals; third, humor about political matters is a highly contextual and subjective phenomenon that can be perceived differently by individuals, with different cultures shaping the content, nature, and characteristics of such humor. The chapter suggests that knowledge of political humor contributes to a better understanding of political rhetoric, information processing and organization, attitude formation and change, persuasion, and political engagement.
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Notes
- 1.
I thank Tom Bryder for this observation.
- 2.
The same joke had appeared in the U.S. press several months earlier, at that time attributed to Kim Young-sam, who served as President of South Korea for five years beginning in 1993. The same apocryphal tale has also been told about any number of non-English speaking politicians from various countries. It was nonetheless reported by some mainstream media outlets.
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Feldman, O. (2024). Humor and Politics: A Conceptual Introduction. In: Feldman, O. (eds) Political Humor Worldwide. The Language of Politics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8490-9_1
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