Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States

282 Pages·2019·7.617 MB·English

by  Dannagal Goldthwaite Young

Irony and Outrage

Irony and Outrage
The Polarized Landscape
of Rage, Fear, and Laughter
in the United States
DANNAGAL GOLDTHWAITE YOUNG
1
1
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of
Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries.
Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America.
© Oxford University Press 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,
or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with
the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning
reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the
Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Young, Dannagal G., author.
Title: Irony and outrage : the polarized landscape of rage, fear, and
laughter in the United States / Dannagal Goldthwaite Young.
Description: New York, NY, United States of America : Oxford University
Press, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019006859 (print) | LCCN 2019980569 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190913083 (hardcover : acid-free paper) | ISBN 9780190913106 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190913090 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Mass media—Political aspects—United States. | Mass media and
public opinion—United States. | Television talk shows—Political
aspects—United States. | Radio talk shows—Political aspects—United States. |
Television in politics—United States. | Radio in politics—United States. |
Right and left (Political science)—United States. |
Political culture—United States. | Political satire, American.
Classification: LCC P95.82.U6 Y68 2020 (print) | LCC P95.82.U6 (ebook) |
DDC 810.9/93581—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019006859
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019980569
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
For Mike Young, whose infinite tolerance for ambiguity taught me
to be comfortable in the not-knowing.
For Michelle Kennedy, whose high need for closure taught me to
stop thinking and just do something goddammit.

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Prologue 1
1. The Counterculture Comics versus the Hate Clubs of the Air 8
2. P olitical and Technological Changes That Created Jon
Stewart and Bill O’Reilly 32
3. Outrage and Satire as Responses and Antidotes 48
4. The Psychology of Satire 69
5. Who Gets the Joke? 85
6. The Psychology of the Left and the Right 100
7. The Psychological Roots of Humor’s Liberal Bias 119
8. The Aesthetics of Outrage 141
9. Satire and Outrage: Parallel Functions and Impact 168
10. P laying against Type: Liberal “Outrage” and
Conservative “Satire” 192
11. I rony and Outrage: A Wild Raccoon versus a Well-Trained
Attack Dog 207
Notes 215
Index 255

Acknowledgments
countless friends and mentors made me feel that this project was
worth pursuing and that I was the person to do it: Regina Lawrence, whose
tireless mentoring and praise of my ideas convinced me that I know what I’m
talking about; Sarah Sobieraj, who thinks and talks and brainstorms like an
improviser in the best of all possible ways: “yes anding,” building on offers to
help you complete the scene—and the book. Michael Delli Carpini, who was
excited about this idea from the start, and generously read a very early first
draft, offering suggestions of where to tighten up the narrative. Lance Holbert,
who has always been a champion of me and my work, even back when there
wasn’t very much work to be a champion of. My supportive colleagues and
friends at the University of Delaware, with whom I’ve discussed these ideas
(way too much) over the years; especially Scott Caplan, Lindsay Hoffman,
Jenny Lambe, Paul Brewer, Steve Mortensen, Lydia Timmins, Tracey Holden,
Phil Jones, Joanne Miller, Dave Redlawsk, Nancy Signorielli, John Courtright,
Betsy Perse, and Kami Silk. My mentors from the Annenberg School for
Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, including MXD, Joe
Cappella, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson (who gave me invaluable publishing
advice) and the brilliant Annenberg crew of the early 2000s, who inspire me
every day: especially Kate Kenski, Jenny Stromer-Galley, Matt Carlson, Brooke
Duffy, Jeff Gottfried, Talia Stroud, Scott Stroud, and Tresa Undem. The
extraordinary women of political communication and political science (#wom-
enalsoknowstuff), who are at once friends and colleagues: Amber Boydstun,
Shannon McGregor, Katie Searles, and Jess Feezell.
For their generosity in taking the time to be interviewed, I would like to
extend my heartfelt gratitude to The Committee’s Alan Myerson, Ed
Greenberg, and Latifah Taormina, comedy writer David Misch, documentary
filmmaker Sam Shaw, and comedian Frank Lesser. Thank you especially to
Full Frontal’s Ashley Black for entertaining these heady questions while still