Humor. Another Downfall for Women?
I would like to discuss the reading we have for class analyzing the humor rhetoric of Ann Richards. I know there are many boundaries women cannot cross in fear of coming off in the wrong way, but I never expected humor to be one of them. Richards does a terrific job captivating the attention of her audience and gaining their respect of a woman. Richards' success comes from her strategic mix of feminine and feminist humor to play the roles of "proper female" and "hard headed politician".
Feminine humor recognizes cultural inequities, but does seek to change them. Feminist humor reverses mainstream cultural beliefs, values, and roles, ridicules mainstream cultural expectations, also ridicules feminist expectations, is about the common female experience, affirms women's strength, reifies in-group/out-group relationships, and is usually anti-male. (pg. 276). Richards demonstrates these traits when she analyzes George Bush: "For eight straight years George Bush hasn't displayed the slightest interest in anything we care about. And now he's after a job he can't get appointed to, he's like Columbus discovering America--he's found childcare, he's found education. Poor George, he can't help it--he was born with a silver foot in his mouth" (pg. 281). In this quote, she touches on the a few things that are important to women, but also mocks Bush as an 'incompetent male'.
Richards speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 is a great example of her skill as a politician and as a persuader to her audience. She grasps the audience in her first sentence. I think It is evident Richards knows the political road for America. Richards uses her intelligence to keep her political position and to fight for America.
I think humor is a vital part of a politicians personality. By implementing some humor into a campaign, a politician can be placed on a "average person" scale and also gives relief to the stuffed shirt image of the average politician. It is a strength of all politicians if used correctly. Humor also bring a lighter note to the harsh reality of politics. Perhaps if politicians were "humanized" and more personal, people wouldn't be so turned off by politics. Ann Richards is a great example of how to defy the boundaries keeping women in traditional roles and how to stand on the political stage.
Feminine humor recognizes cultural inequities, but does seek to change them. Feminist humor reverses mainstream cultural beliefs, values, and roles, ridicules mainstream cultural expectations, also ridicules feminist expectations, is about the common female experience, affirms women's strength, reifies in-group/out-group relationships, and is usually anti-male. (pg. 276). Richards demonstrates these traits when she analyzes George Bush: "For eight straight years George Bush hasn't displayed the slightest interest in anything we care about. And now he's after a job he can't get appointed to, he's like Columbus discovering America--he's found childcare, he's found education. Poor George, he can't help it--he was born with a silver foot in his mouth" (pg. 281). In this quote, she touches on the a few things that are important to women, but also mocks Bush as an 'incompetent male'.
Richards speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 is a great example of her skill as a politician and as a persuader to her audience. She grasps the audience in her first sentence. I think It is evident Richards knows the political road for America. Richards uses her intelligence to keep her political position and to fight for America.
I think humor is a vital part of a politicians personality. By implementing some humor into a campaign, a politician can be placed on a "average person" scale and also gives relief to the stuffed shirt image of the average politician. It is a strength of all politicians if used correctly. Humor also bring a lighter note to the harsh reality of politics. Perhaps if politicians were "humanized" and more personal, people wouldn't be so turned off by politics. Ann Richards is a great example of how to defy the boundaries keeping women in traditional roles and how to stand on the political stage.
posted by Emily | 5:37 PM
1 Comments:
I think Emily made a great point when she says that Ann Richards captures the audience in the first sentence. I think that is so important for anyone who is trying to persuade a group of people. Being able to do this with humor or some other tactic is a sign of a great speaker. Even if the audience wasn't already interested they will be as soon as the speech starts. If politicians, especially can do this it would be an asset because of the support they could gain.
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