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Democracy and humor
Cambridge Forum

Democracy or whatever – can humor help?

November 4

5:00pm - 6:00pm

Zoom/ Online
Speakers
Thomas Zimmer
Jimmy Tingle
Karen North

American democracy is under threat, CF considers if humor is our last best resort. Much has happened to the political landscape in recent weeks, including the No Kings protests on October 18 which drew several million people into city streets all over America. It was thought to be the largest day of protest in U.S. history and sent a strong voice of opposition to Trump’s most recent propaganda efforts to declare all dissent illegal. The finale of the Right’s wild rhetoric culminated in an AI-generated video on social media depicting Trump piloting a fighter jet, while wearing a crown, and dumping feces on protesters from the air. Is this all just good “clean” fun and were the protests just a feel-good exercise for liberals, that don’t actually change a thing?

In an age of memes, late-night talk shows, and viral takedowns, satire has become a serious weapon – as witnessed by what happened to comedians, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. But what happens when humor masks deeper political truths? Cambridge Forum explores how we navigate this new world of clownish propaganda; do we dare ignore Trump’s silliness and buffoonery, risking its veracity at our peril? CF asks three people from different areas of expertise to discuss the power behind the politics of ridicule. Different formats are used by both the Right and Left, not just to entertain, but to demonize, distract and derail debate. But what does this humor reveal about the state of our democracy – and is laughter our last best defense? Join the conversation.

 

Thomas Zimmer. Thomas Zimmer is an historian and journalist, who recently moved back to Germany from his professor’s post at Georgetown University. His work focuses on the history of democracy and the American Right and his online longform essays appear on Democracy Americana. https://democracyamericana.com/
Jimmy Tingle. Jimmy Tingle is a comedian who has worked as a humorist and commentator for 60 Minutes II and MSNBC. He has also appeared on The Tonight Show, CNN, Conan O’Brien, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Comedy Central, and in his own HBO half-hour comedy special. In 2018, he ran for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and received 41% of the vote in the Massachusetts Democratic primary. His trademark work is Humor for Humanity, which he sees as a way to unite people of all political viewpoints.
Karen North. Karen North, PhD, is a recognized expert in digital social media and in psychology. She is the founder and former director of USC Annenberg’s Digital Social Media (MS) program, and a clinical professor in the school of communication focusing on digital and social media, business and product strategy, privacy and safety online, and brand building and reputation management. In 2006, North created the Digital Social Media (MS) program (formerly, Annenberg Program on Online Communities), the world’s first master’s degree program and research center focused on the leadership and management of social media and online communities.

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