Internet comedy is distinct from internet memes because humour websites are created by people with comedy careers, whereas anyone can contribute to meme culture. While some of these websites invite users to contribute content, there is a different dynamic to meme culture – these sites still have the power to act as comedy gatekeepers by exercising editorial power over user contributions. The biggest comedy websites function as idea hubs, and when they do interact with meme culture it is in an attempt to explain it or to service a deeper
118
Morris, A. (2016). How Samantha Bee Crashed the Late-Night Boys' Club. [online] Available at: http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/how-samantha-bee-crashed-the-late-night-boys-club-20160630 [Accessed 9 Sep. 2016].
119 Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. (2016a). Rape Kit Backlog. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrxTrR5_8Zo [Accessed 24 Sep. 2016].
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. (2016b). Abortion, Texas-Style. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSMXwzH-moc [Accessed 24 Sep. 2016].
120 Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. (2016c). R.I.P. GOP (Part 1). [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkvp6Syvv9c [Accessed 24 Sep. 2016].
121 Traister, R. (2016). Smirking in the Boys’ Room With Samantha Bee. [online] Available at:
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joke.122 Comedy websites can be swept into the broad modes of satire, cultural commentary, and sketch; the case studies I will be analysing are The Onion and its sister site Clickhole, as well as Cracked and College Humor. Each of these websites speaks not only to internet and meme culture, but also to political culture at large.
Satire case studies: The Onion and Clickhole
The Onion began as a student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin in 1988, and quickly became an internet staple when it started publishing online in 1996.123 The Onion creates satirical newspaper articles, reflecting on both current events and fictional content. Much of their fictional content juxtaposes a unique experience with the reporting style of current affairs news (e.g. “Man On Cusp Of Having Fun Suddenly Remembers Every Single One Of His Responsibilities”).124 The Onion is a satirical touchstone – Reddit has a thread for unbelievable current affairs stories called /r/NotTheOnion.125 Most readers access The Onion via its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
A notable instance of The Onion’s influence upon internet culture is its gun control satire “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.”126 The article was originally published in May 2014 following the Isla Vista shooting in California, where an enraged gunman opened fire at the University of California, Santa Barbara as
122
See College Humor’s use of the Gangnam Style dance in their 2014 all-nighter video: College Humor. (2014a). YouTube Closed Captioning Experiment (All-Nighter 2014). [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txvud7wPbv4 [Accessed 14 Aug. 2016].
123
Marino, N. (2016). Six Insights From an Editor at The Onion. [online] Available at:
https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/07/six-insights-from-an-editor-at-the-onion.html [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
124 The Onion. (2013). Man On Cusp Of Having Fun Suddenly Remembers Every Single One Of His
Responsibilities. [online] Available at: http://www.theonion.com/article/man-on-cusp-of-having-fun-suddenly-
remembers-every-32632 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
125 Not The Onion. (2016). Reddit. Sadly, this is not the Onion. • /r/nottheonion. [online] Available at:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/ [Accessed 22 Sep. 2016].
126
The Onion. (2014a). ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens. [online] Available at: http://www.theonion.com/article/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-36131 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
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“retribution” for his own virginity, killing seven and injuring thirteen.127
The Onion article was later republished with key places and names changed in the wake of subsequent mass shootings (June 2015, October 2015).128 Users soon took to reposting the headline in the aftermath of other mass shootings. The article’s memetic power is emphasised by its anti-gun stance.
An example of the Onion’s direct influence upon meme culture is their article “Cinnamon Roll too good for this world, too pure.”129
This particular turn of language – describing a cinnamon roll as good and pure – was quickly adopted by fandom communities as memetic shorthand for a much beloved character cursed with tragedy.130
Figure 11: A Cinnamon/Sinnamon meme categorising characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Tumblr, 2015.
The Cinnamon Roll is an example of a meme genre that transcended its context as an Onion article. Although there are more structured sub-genres within the broader genre, the
127 O'Connell, E. (2016). “We fostered something chaotic and irresponsible”: Elliot Rodger, Isla Vista & the
echoes of a tragedy. [online] Salon. Available at:
http://www.salon.com/2015/05/22/we_fostered_something_chaotic_and_irresponsible_elliot_rodger_isla_vista_ the_echoes_of_a_tragedy/ [Accessed 22 Sep. 2016].
128
The Onion. (2015a). ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens. [online] Available at: http://www.theonion.com/article/no-way-prevent-says-only-nation-where-regularly-ha-51443 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
The Onion. (2015b). ‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens. [online] Available at: http://www.theonion.com/article/no-way-prevent-says-only-nation-where-regularly-ha-51444 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
129 The Onion. (2014b). Beautiful Cinnamon Roll Too Good For This World, Too Pure. [online] Available at:
http://www.theonion.com/article/beautiful-cinnamon-roll-too-good-for-this-world-to-35038 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
130 dork-larue. (2015). Tumblr. [online] Available at: http://dork-larue.tumblr.com/post/122264549961/i-love-
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Cinnamon Roll stands as an example of a memetic idea being replicated in multiple varying ways. In comparison to No Way To Prevent This, Cinnamon Roll is far more susceptible to remix and mashup. No Way To Prevent This governed the content to which it is attached, but Cinnamon Roll transcended its existence as a phrase or an image: it became an idea, an abstraction, far more portable because it was not constrained by content or imagery. The Cinnamon Roll genre is an internet meme only in that it was developed and spread online – its abstract form makes it Dawkinsian in nature.
The Onion launched a spinoff website, Clickhole, in 2014.131 Rather than publishing straight satire, Clickhole lampoons clickbait culture with neo-Dadaism. Clickhole’s articles very rarely have a point beyond an underlying nihilism about the futility of online media. Titles such as “Problem Solved! This Panda Has Been Giving Birth Over And Over Without Stopping Since Last Month!” pair positive clickbait language with surrealism.132
Questionnaires like “Which One of My Garbage Sons Are You?” parody culture website Buzzfeed, juxtaposing specificity with broad-appeal personality quizzes.133
Clickhole’s unusual writing style underpins its highly conceptual tone. Its employment of strangely juxtaposed epithets with jarring syntax reflects the unusual syntax of Weird Twitter – for example, Clickhole writing feels very similar to the Anxiety genre discussed in Chapter I. Its popularity can be attributed to the fact that it uses the well- established practice of specificity. The introduction to “Which One of My Garbage Sons Are You?” is an example of specificity: “I’ve got some shit boys. My huge beautiful wife gave
131 Dewey, C. (2014). The Onion launched a parody site called Clickhole, and not everyone got the joke. (What
happened next will not surprise you.). [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the- intersect/wp/2014/06/24/the-onion-launched-a-parody-site-called-clickhole-and-not-everyone-got-the-joke- what-happened-next-will-not-surprise-you/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2016].
132 Clickhole. (2014a). Problem Solved! This Panda Has Been Giving Birth Over And Over Without Stopping
Since Last Month!. [online] Available at: http://www.clickhole.com/article/problem-solved-panda-has-been-
giving-birth-over-an-822 [Accessed 10 Aug. 2016].
133 Clickhole. (2014b). Which One Of My Garbage Sons Are You? [online] Available at:
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me children who think and speak like the toilet.”134 By juxtaposing the general tone of a questionnaire with sudden bursts of specificity, Clickhole conjures a vivid universe. “My huge beautiful wife” fractures the traditional adjective order, underpinned by the unusual syntax of “speak like the toilet”. Clickhole’s writing style toys with the concept of American dialect. Versions of American dialect humour have emerged in Yiddish theatre, the Southern writing of Mark Twain, and SNL sketches like “The Californians”.135 Clickhole’s specificity is a new form of American regionalism whose region is the online sphere. Both Clickhole and The Onion tap into the comedic language of specificity which is used elsewhere on the internet, which is why their writing remains funny online.
Cultural Commentary case study: Cracked
Cracked.com calls itself “America’s Only Humor Website”, and mainly comments upon popular culture.136 Like The Onion, Cracked is descended from print media: Cracked
Magazine was a MAD Magazine knockoff founded in 1958; after poor sales in the early
2000s led to a short-lived rebrand as a lad-mag, Cracked Magazine folded as a print publication in 2007.137 Cracked.com was founded in 2005 under the management of ABC News veteran Jack O’Brien who established a cutting and self-deprecating analysis of pop culture and current events maintained to this day.138
Cracked presents information in written, audio, and video forms. It has a host of regular columnists, but also showcases guest articles, infographic pieces, podcasts, sketches,
134 Ibid. 135
Browne, L. (1945). The wisdom of Israel. New York: Random House, pp.495-510, 521-530.
Buxbaum, K. (1927). Mark Twain and American Dialect. American Speech, [online] 2(5), p.233. Available at: http://jstor.org/stable/452316 [Accessed 22 Sep. 2016].
Saturday Night Live. (2012). The Californians: Drama Off the 405. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-tG6ufH90 [Accessed 22 Sep. 2016].
136 Cracked.com. (2016a). Op cit.
137 Dean, M. (2002). Anthrax Attack and Distribution Troubles, Cracked Awaits Salvation. [online] Available at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20060505022532/http://www.tcj.com/242/n_cracked.html [Accessed 17 Sep. 2016].
138 Abraham, J. (2016). Jack O'Brien, Cracked.com. [online] Gothamist. Available at:
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and “Photoplasty” articles where readers are encouraged to submit photoshopped images that conform to a certain theme.139 Many article ideas are crowdsourced through the Cracked forums – some contributions are compensated, but users mainly contribute in the hopes that they may one day be selected to write a full article. This practice of unpaid labour reinforces the memetic process of uncompensated cultural participation.
Cracked’s writing style relies heavily upon listicles (articles presented in list form), but goes into a lot of depth with each point on the list. There are, of course, exceptions to the listicle form, usually presented as shorter satirical or confessional columns. This format means that Cracked articles can be read quickly and concisely, making them the perfect method of delivering bite-sized news, fan theories, and quirky facts. Cracked’s clickbait headlines make it desirable to read and easy to search – searchability is vital for internet cultures because it introduces more people to internet communities.
Cracked hosts a range of web series centring upon popular culture, but the most common form of Cracked videos features a member of staff presenting a listicle to the camera. Cracked receives most of its video exposure through its YouTube page. YouTube’s recommendations algorithm means that anyone who has watched a video remotely connected to geek culture or film theory has likely been recommended a Cracked video.
Cracked produces around five pieces of content (videos, articles, and podcasts) each weekday. In recent years, Cracked has shifted from its lad-mag roots to a socially conscious, progressive internet space. Its desire to keep up with a politically engaged zeitgeist has meant that it now presents socio-political news alongside popular culture, eroding the lines between the two. The company has brought more women onto its video and writing teams, and tackles topics that would have once been considered completely out of character for the site. Cracked
139
Cracked.com. (2016b). Obvious Ways To Solve Famous Movie Plots In Seconds. [online] Available at: http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_2210_12-movie-plots-settled-with-basic-household-products/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2016].
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was once a geek haven that relished in articles about side-boob: it now produces insightful pieces about Monsanto, political correctness, and sex work.140
Rather than invading journalism with entertainment, Cracked’s entertainment has been invaded by journalism. Similar to John Oliver’s investigative comedy, the effects of this cross-media practice have changed the fundamental core of internet comedy spaces. This change in pace – talking about socio-political issues alongside popular culture – is mirrored in the changing landscape of meme communities. Cracked engages a different public about politics, and provides an unlikely means to disseminate information, just as memes do.
Sketch comedy case study: College Humor
College Humor’s website was founded in 1999; based out of collegehumor.com, it produced user-generated content to foster a loyal community with the express purpose of earning advertising revenue.141 The business expanded in the mid-to-late 2000s to become one of the most influential comedy websites. Its biggest platform today is its YouTube page, which launched in 2006: with over 10.9 million subscribers, and videos regularly surpassing one million views, College Humor is a mainstay of internet sketch comedy, posting five original sketch videos weekly.142 Their content aims for virality, and typically riffs on popular culture, life as a self-deprecating millennial, and, more recently, political satire. The
140 Cracked.com. (2009). Boobs: The Closest We've Come to the Jedi Mind Trick. [online] Available at:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-212-boobs/ [Accessed 17 Sep. 2016].
Cracked.com. (2016c). Bayer Purchased Monsanto (And We Are All Screwed). [online] Available at:
http://www.cracked.com/article_24346_bayer-purchased-monsanto-and-we-are-all-screwed.html [Accessed 17 Sep. 2016].
Sargent, J. (2015). 6 Ways Critics Of Political Correctness Have It Backwards. [online] Cracked.com. Available at: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-ways-critics-political-correctness-have-it-backwards/ [Accessed 17 Sep. 2016].
Evans, R. et al. (2016). 5 Ways Life as a Prostitute is Nothing Like You Expect. [online] Available at: http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1490-5-ways-life-as-prostitute-nothing-like-you-expect.html [Accessed 17 Sep. 2016].
141 Fox News. (2006). Business at Collegehumor.com Is No Joke [online] Available at:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/06/15/business-at-collegehumorcom-is-no-joke.html [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
142College Humor. (2016b). CollegeHumor YouTube Home. [online] Available at:
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bulk of their video sketches are set within the College Humor offices, with staff playing fictionalised versions of themselves, although they have produced numerous higher-budget sketches and web series.
Similar to Cracked, College Humor has developed more progressive and socially conscious content. Recent sketches have addressed coming out as bisexual, the nuances of being mixed race in America, and the exploitation of activist language – a far cry from their award-winning yet juvenile 2007 sketch, “Hand Vagina”.143 College Humor has always, on some level, engaged with politics: their 2008 video “If the Other Party Wins” lampooned Republican and Democrat fearmongering campaigns.144 This practice of political parody continues to be a useful and appealing tool deployed by them to this day – look no further than their parodic series “What’s Inside People’s Pockets?” (Figure 12).
But the 2016 election has seen College Humor engage with politics beyond parody. Sketches like “Donald Trump Will Never Be President… Or Will He?” and “Why Bernie Sanders is Actually Winning” tussled with liberal confusion and stubbornness, engaging with the political anxiety gripping the left in the 2016 election.145 Their video “Donald Trump: Show Us Your Penis” parodied activist campaigns, asking Trump to verify his claim of an impressive penis size.146 The actors speak didactically, pleading with him to make good his word, and their sustained incredulity challenges their audience to demand better of Trump.
143 College Humor. (2015a). When Coming Out Goes Better Than You Thought. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgHwF4CNiJA [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016]. College Humor. (2015b). Are You Asian Enough? [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVR3B01NxiM [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016]. College Humor. (2015c). Coming Out As Trans-Everything. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMUl6w1efXI [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016]. College Humor. (2007). Hand - Vagina. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQtKnDGhxmk [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
144 College Humor. (2008). If The Other Party Wins. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-_JhRJ0tWA [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
145 College Humor. (2016c). Donald Trump Will Never Be President… Or Will He? [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSAHqFqG58 [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
College Humor. (2016d). Why Bernie Sanders is Actually Winning. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHS-K7OuLAc [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016].
146 College Humor. (2016e). Donald Trump: Show Us Your Penis. [online] Available at:
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Other videos implored viewers to register to vote and go to college (the latter with a cameo from First Lady Michelle Obama).147
Figure 12: "My second bag of Werther's candies comes with a big, fat, sticky joint." College Humor's parody of Bernie Sanders taps into his dual persona as a radical college student and benevolent grandpa. College Humor, 2016.
College Humor, then, uses political comedy not just as a comedic tool, but as a way to enact genuine social change. Rebecca Krefting describes this as charged humour – humour that specifically intends “to incite social change, develop community, and lobby for civil rights and acknowledgement.”148
These are actions that College Humor has increasingly pushed. Still tongue-in-cheek, College Humor has used comedy to demand better of American politicians, while simultaneously normalising comedy as an act of participatory politics. This is, perhaps, College Humor’s greatest transformation.
147 College Humor. (2014b). A Political Ad For Your Friend Who Doesn’t Vote. [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeGAnQ6DyJs [Accessed 23 Sep. 2016].
College Humor. (2015d). Go To College Music Video (with FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA!). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1yAOK0nSb0 [Accessed 23 Sep. 2016].
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Conclusions
In this chapter, I outlined the impact that traditional comedy media have upon American political comedy and memetic comedy. I first examined the influence of television comedy. I outlined the varied achievements of Saturday Night Live’s use of parody and its history with memetic creation, but concluded that their hypocritical portrayal of Donald Trump was to the detriment of their comedic integrity. Fallon’s use of parody empowered Clinton and mocked Trump, demonstrating his ability as a comedian to mediate internet- friendly light politics. However, this assessment also fell victim to hypocrisy after Trump’s later appearance on the show. My analysis of satire news outlined the prominence of investigative comedy in the works of John Oliver and Samantha Bee. Ultimately, Oliver’s voice is most powerful within left-wing enclaves, while Bee’s feminist voice acts as the outraged comedic catharsis that Jon Stewart once provided the nation. My analysis of comedy websites revealed that The Onion and its sister site Clickhole maintain online relevance by using the language of specificity developed by Weird Twitter. Cultural and sketch sites like Cracked and College Humor, however, mirror a wider trend that has shifted centrist online spaces into more radical socio-political commentators. These sites blur the lines between entertainment and news, much in the way that meme cultures do, but also use their platforms to enact charged comedy that incites change in their viewers.
Meme culture is now an integral part of America’s comedic ecosystem. It provides talking points on interviews, riffs upon the character and caricature developed by these traditional comedy outlets, and takes cues from mainstream media in its attitudes towards socio-politics. In Chapter III, I will examine the biggest memetic genres and trends that arose during the 2016 US Presidential election, organising them according to which candidate they focus upon. Through this, I hope to demonstrate how the political culture has deepened, and how it exists in conversation with American comedy and political culture at large.
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