It is an election year. And election years provide a full assortment of humor opportunities.
Be careful. You’ve been warned!
It is easy to assume that the group you are with is all of a mind on the issues, when actually they are not. The diehard Democrat in the upscale land of Republicans may not tip his hand often. Not every supporter has a sign in their yard. And the Republicans on a college campus may be harder to find, but they exist.
If you want to use some of the great political jokes you have heard, the challenge is to get the laugh without getting stabbed in the back on the way out.
As always, When In Doubt Leave It Out, but if you must…
1. Choose material that pokes gentle fun at the “other” party. Think pie-in-the-face rather than fist-in-the-face. Usually if you can substitute Democrat for Republican, or Independent for Democrat, etc. and it still makes sense, it is OK to use. Look for human foibles that can apply to anyone. Using humor that points out a person’s heritage, racial or religious background should always be off-limits, since generally there is no equivalent on the opposite side. Not to mention it can be death to sales, careers, and relationships.
2. Balance is a key. After telling a story about one side, immediately follow it with a story about the other side. Make sure both sides have a chance to laugh at about the same time.
3. Quoting the late night hosts can be a great source of already proven and realtively clean material. It is best to preface it with the source, “I’m sure you saw Leno last night…” or “Letterman said this about it…” or “Craig Ferguson said last night…” This prevents someone from thinking you are “stealing” material.
4. Hang on to the stuff that works for you, chances are “the other party” will still be around in another two, or four years.
If you are not sure about what to use, need some help with a presentation, or just have a great story to share, please contact me directly, or leave your comments below.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Balance is key, especially when dealing with political humor…sadly, seems like there are more “jokes” running on one ticket this year compared to the other…will let you figure out which one I’m referring to.
Great tips, as always…
peace,
mike
livelife365
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 6:49 am
And the bitterness and rancor amaze me sometimes.
Balance is exactly what we need.
on Sep 30th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
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on Oct 1st, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Just wanted to drop by and say thanks for stopping and commenting on my blog.
Also – I’m all for balance – I have the yin/yang tattoed on my arm. However, finding balance in politics is extremely hard to do these days when you have a media that is so unbalanced. Some of out there need to report the “other” side in order to balance that out.
However, from a comedic point of view – I like your approach!
on Oct 6th, 2008 at 2:49 am
nice post looking forwarrd the next post…best regards Bill
on Oct 6th, 2008 at 4:37 am
Thanks for your comment Bill. Your post on Blogging Bill was a nice reminder about keeping it simple and sticking to the basics when writing.
on Oct 6th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Very useful blog Dan, I hope to learn a lot here. My blog mainly features animations but I quickly learned with the blogger format, that I have to use filler (text) to give them time to load – so you can help me get better at that :>) Glad to have you with us at HumorBloggers.com