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Culture Documents
against her. Therefore, proving that humorists are important in serving society because
their work can change the lives of others. However, in the years following the war, a new
curse plagued the American people: political corruption. One of the most famous corrupt
politicians was Boss William H. Tweed, a senator who had control of Tammany Hall in
New York. Tweed openly bought votes, rigged elections, and collected bribes to keep
himself and his allies in power. But one courageous man, like Stowe, stood up and
spoke, or rather, drew against Tweed. Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist at Harpers
Weekly, used his cartoons to openly attack Tweeds wrongdoings. The satirical cartoons
proved to be the best fitting composition because the general public of Tweeds district
(who couldnt read) in a way they could understand the message being conveyed by
Nast in his pictures. In the end, Nasts cartoons proved to be Boss Tweeds downfall
because they helped Samuel J. Tilden convict Tweed. With Stowe and Nast serving as
earlier model, it is cleat to see that humorists are very important as they educate their
societies in what is happening around them and even help to put a stop to particularly
instances.
By drawing from historical examples, humorists carry the torch by making
the controversies and issues of today tolerable for their audiences, even in the face of
opposition from naysayers. A popular American television show known as Saturday
Night Live (SNL), most famous for its hilarious skits performed in front of a live
audience, is a great example. Occasionally, the topics of the skits often cause
controversy or offence, such as in Chris Rocks monologue on the Boston bombings, in
which the comedian said the runners didnt have time to start running, as they had to
start running again, this time away from the bombs. The cast of SNL may often face
criticism, but many people see them as the comic relief that is needed in the face of
tragedy and as a source to put things in laymans terms. Similar to Saturday Night Live
is the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which airs on Comedy Central. The show is a
political news satire program where Stewart acts as a mock political analyst and
functions as a parody to actual news programs, like the Rachel Maddow Show. Stewart
turns real current events into comedy that can be easily understood by the common
man and by using sarcasm and wit, Stewart sometimes shows the ridiculousness of
certain topics. Because of modern T.V. programs like SNL and the Daily Show with Jon
Stewart, individuals who have a hard time comprehending what is happening can often
get the gist of it when listening to humorists.
Without the presence of humorists in society, it would feel uncomfortable for
many due to the lack of comic relief and reason to laugh. Many individuals rely on
humorists to break down the issues that are happening currently. Most of all, without
them, somethings we dont know about wouldnt be discovered and, when need be,
discontinued. Therefore, it is imperative that we appreciate the job of humorists because
they do so much more than we actually think.