An Interview w/ Phillip Jones, senior service manager from Christopher’s World Grill - Jonathan Campbell

 

Christopher’s is a gastronomic vision standing in the middle of an idyllic central Texas grass field, much as it did when the house was built in 1913. Featuring the culinary creations of an award winning saucier, the restaurant stands as a fine dining experience in a town that, before, held nothing of this caliber. The service, of course, runs at a comparable level to the food, and the man who has been in charge of the front of house since the opening in 1999 is a welsh man from a poor neighborhood in London.

Phil claims his leadership skills were honed as a young man working in his local pub, where he held his first job at age 15. This job instilled a strong work ethic, which “is the first step in leading others, no one likes working for a lazy bastard”. He carried this work ethic into a job manning luxury cruise ships sailing around Europe. It was on one of these journeys he met Christopher Lampo, who would later go on to found Christopher’s.

Over the years, the two developed a close working relationship, and when Chris returned to Texas to found the restaurant, he convinced Phil to join him as a managing partner.  “He saw me working, you know what I mean? He saw me working hard, working smart, and extended me the offer.”

Since 1999 and his first years of leadership, Phil has changed as experience taught him. “I was a hardass in the beginning, I was on people for everything, you know what I mean? I had it my way, and that was it, you know what I mean?”. Since then, he has tempered his manner, instead focusing on fostering relationships with his employees.

Virtue as a Vehicle to Support Questionable Actions  - Jonathan Campbell

 

The Chartist movement in late 1830’s London sought to remove the land ownership barrier to political participation, and was in most ways a class movement, with the proletariat of London banding together and rejecting the image of the bourgeoisie, and with it some of the more liberal social actions of the land owning class. The chartists founder formalized this in their 1838 Address and Rules, meant to document the growing branches of the movements in different locations, stating that groups were meant to recruit those with “the attributes of men; and little worth of the name are those who have no aspirations beyond mere sensual enjoyments”, including alcohol.

However, according to Tom Scriven, one of their founding members, Henry Vincent, seemingly quite enjoyed sensual enjoyment as he travelled on lecture tours on the ideals of Chartists, candidly (and quite proudly) often writing his brother about his recent trysts, even lamenting the absence of women during a short prison stint in 1837 (Scriven 160).

This dichotomy is all to present in current political movements today: a group holds virtue as central its cause in order to both attract new members and legitimize themselves on the outside, while internally practicing something far different. ISIS, or Daesh, holds the teaching of Islam as its moral compass, while at the same time perpetrating systematic rape against their prisoners, going so far as to defend it with religion:

“After capture, the Yazidi women and children were then divided according to the Shariah amongst the fighters of the Islamic State who participated in the Sinjar operations, after one fifth of the slaves were transferred to the Islamic State’s authority to be divided” (as spoils). (Callimachi)

 

Groups must legitimize themselves, and framing the groups rhetoric around virtue, a leader is able to place his actions, and by extension other members, above reproach.

 

SCRIVEN, TOM. "Humour, Satire, And Sexuality In The Culture Of Early Chartism." Historical Journal 57.1 (2014): 157-178. Academic Search Complete. Web.

Callimachi, Rukmini. "ISIS Enshrines A Theology Of Rape". Nytimes.com. N.p., 2015. Web.

Laughtivism in Politics

By: Matthew Ricks

Political campaigns or movements seem to pair really well with Laughtivism because it is fairly easy to make fun of

certain campaigns. There are meme movements and several examples of different uses of political laughtivism such as the “anyone but Trump” and the “White Flour!” campaign protesting the neo-Nazi movement. Laughtivism is a described by Natalija Janesa as being, “used as a term to describe a social action, which is presented in a humoristic way. It is a form of activism that instead of anger is based on fun. Laughtivism can be a very powerful strategy if used creatively and with complete and current knowledge of the topic.” Donald Trump is probably the easiest candidate in this year’s presidential election because he is by far the easiest to ridicule through laughtivism. Trump’s campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again,” yet his list of failures goes on and on, you have Trump Airlines (failed), Trump Casino (failed), Trump Mortgage (failed), Trump University (failed), and Trump couldn’t even drink away his numerous failures and frauds with Trump Vodka… because it also failed! The series of laughtivist protests against Trump appear to of at most work and at the least not harmed because according to CNN almost 6 out of every 10 voters view Trump unfavorably (59%). He is easy to target because people don’t like him, so they laugh him off and campaign against him with Laughtivism and it is working because according to Real Clear Politics Hillary Clinton is whooping Donald Trump head to head in every poll by an average of about 9 points. Real Clear Politics also has Bernie Sanders beating Donald Trump in the polls by approximately 15 points! Mladen and Popovic state that, “There is a reason why humor is infusing the arsenal of the 21st-century protestor: It works. For one, humor breaks fear and builds confidence. It also adds a necessary cool factor, which helps movements attract new members.”

            To get a more personal perspective on the use of laughtivism I asked my good friend political enthusiast, Sean O’Sullivan. I asked Sean what he thinks of the use of laughtivisim and its effects on politics. Sean stated that, “It can be easy to get caught up in a campaign like that because of the exciting nature around it. It can be fun to mock Trump through laughtivism, but you have to be careful that you know all of the facts about who is being targeted if you are looking in from the outside so that you are not swayed by untruths because they are funny.”

            In conclusion, Laughtivism can be a good tool in politics for anti-campaigns in order to

laugh off what one feels as political non-sense and show un-approval for political actions someone disagrees with. On the other hand it can be a way for millennials to just sit behind the comfort of their own screens and mock things they disagree with because it “offends them” and they need a “safe space.” However, humor can be a great tool and is hilarious when it comes to politics. Nothing quite beats a picture of a dog with a Trump wig speaking what Trump is saying.

Sources:

“2016 Presidential Race” Real Clear Politics. 14 April 2016. Web. 24 April 2016.

Aglesta, Jennifer. “National poll: Clinton, Sanders both top Trump.” CNN. 2 March 2016. Web. 24               April 2016.

Janesa, Natalija. “Why Laugtivisim is so effective and what role the Internet plays in it.” New Media           Activism. 24 February 2016. Web. 24 April 2016.

Joksic, Mladen and Srdja Popovic. “Why Dictators Don’t Like Jokes.” Foreign Policy. 5 April 2013.            Web. 24 April 2016.

O’Sullivan, Sean. Interview by Matthew Ricks. 24 April 2016. Phone.

Cortlyn Buck
Generational Insight Interview of Laughtivism in Politics

Politics can be a sensitive subject for some, especially when you incorporate humor into the equation.  Laughtivism certainly isn't the first thing that comes to mind when politics is a topic of discussion, but from what I've found from my interviews, it seems that politicians' sense of  humor can aid them in many ways.

I targeted middle aged, college educated, middle-class individuals for the purpose of gaining insight about what they thought of laughtivism in politics with the result of mostly positive responses. When it comes to winning votes or gaining acceptance, I found that comedic statements utilized by politicians can ease tension and make them more relatable. On the other hand, an attempt of laughtivism in the wrong place at the wrong time can make for a fairly awkward situation, and have negative outcomes overall.

Political debates are typically tense and can get heated easily. We have all seen how certain individuals use humor to deflect a question they don't want to answer, poke fun at their opponent, or even flat out disrespect another party. From my interviews, the main response I received was about using laughtivism in moderation, and in appropriate situations. The overall effectiveness of this topic depends on a number of factors including cultural boundaries, audience, and scope of the situation.

Political scenarios are serious and important in mostly all instances.  Laughtivism allows for a slight break in the usually somber and humorless areas of politics. Comedians like Jimmy Fallon find light and comedic relief in otherwise dark and strict circumstances and even invite politicians to participate in the antics on their talk shows.

Throughout our nation's history, laughtivism in politics has always been incorporated at some level. According to my research, the key to whether or not it can benefit the user depends on the context, and how effective they are in utilizing humor when it is needed most.

Veronica Phillips 
Laughtivism in Politics 
April 24th, 2016 

Humor & Laughtivism in "Humor as a Serious Strategy of Nonviolent Resistance to Oppression"

 As we learned about OTPOR and studied laughtivism during this weeks lecture, I have found that many people have used humor and laughtivism as a way to cope throughout World War 2 in the article, “Humor as a Serious Strategy of Nonviolent Resistance to Oppression” written by Majken Sorensen. This article shows how having a sense of humor during a tragic event can allow you to decrease the use of negativity. Sorensen quotes, “Although an increased pressure raises the chances of repression, paradoxically the use of humor reduces fear within the resistance movement.” This quotes shows how the posters that were portraying Hitler as very weak and un-knowledgeable also showed a sense of propaganda. This gave the viewers who had any sort of family or friend that was apart of the war a feeling of security. When propaganda was shown within the posters to individuals, it allowed them to decrease fear and increase their confidence of that particular situation. This also relates to lecture and how Dr. Tarvin explains OTPOR. OTPOR is not only used to reduce fear of the regime, but to also turn oppression upside down. This relates to the article because having humor during this time allowed everyone to view their terrible situations into a positive light, while turning oppression into something that is viewed differently. Humor and laughtivism are essential and shown throughout this article as something that makes this time period less stressful and more understandable. Using humor and laughtivism is a way to not only lighten up the mood, but to make the world a better place in situations as the described in the article.

Citation:

Sorensen, Majken Jul. Humor as a Serious Strategy of Nonviolent Resistance to Oppression. N.p.: Blackwell Limited, n.d. Print.

Laughtivism- Politics

Corrina Benavides
Le faux Soir- November 1943

In a daring move of Belgium resistance to Nazi Germany, a satirical edition of the Brussels newspaper, Le Soir, was distributed as a substitute for the actual paper. Prior to the publication, Nazi troops occupied Brussels and took over the newspaper. Though many did not may much attention to the articles, they were filled with propaganda, many still bought the newspaper. The goal of the paper was it have it published on November 11th, the day WWI had officially ended. They created am official looking paper that resistance fighters individually distributed across Brussels and its suburbs. Every single article within the article made fun of Nazi propaganda and of the rationing. Four of the ten members arrested for releasing and creating the newspaper were sent to concentration camps, with two of them never returning.

Though the newspaper did very little to contribute to the defeat of the Nazis, it helped boost moral within the Brussels area. The individuals at the time were being starved, randomly searched and arrested and being stolen from. The resistance provided them an outlet in a dark time. The Nazis could do little but punish those who contributed to the newspaper. But because of it's success, they were laughed at and their power/threatening presence was reduced. It employed the basics of laughtivism, but did not fully contribute to the downfall of the dictatorship. The move was bold and effective nonetheless.

Laughivism in Poltics Aurora Silva

Aurora Silva

George W. Bush is infamous for his slur of puns. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame , uh, just don't do it again" was recently introduced in a J. Cole song and it is one line that many people continuously laugh at. Although he graduated from Yale and was a famous cheerleader, his speeches as president seemed to always lack a proof read. He wasn't one to use his one liners correctly and often mispronounced his words. As a lot of other politicians, Bush appeared on SNL.  Many remember Will Ferrel imitating him and playing him off as a true Texan boy who really didn't have many brains.

Although this may seem offensive outside of an SNL setting, many audience members laugh at the jokes and skits that are based around George W. Bush. In many skits, Ferrell even laughed at things that he was saying because they were very humorous and really represented the speeches that Bush gave. Many other politicians are roasted on SNL and it creates wonderful skits that everyone can laugh at.

In leadership, leaders often know their flaws before others even point them out. Therefore, when coworkers are the first ones to poke fun at what flaws each leader expresses freely. It seems that being roasted or made fun of by those you work with really makes for a good laugh and it brings everyone down to the same level and makes them more hunan & flawed. Laughing at oneself adds to humility and makes those who follow you feel more comfortable and relatable to those in higher positions.