So, What?

To finish the postings on this blog, I will toy with the significance of all of the statements made throughout all of the previous postings. So, how true are the analyses of each given video clip? Each clip, on its own, says something different about American culture and the possibilities for YouTube to reflect different things about America. Singular instances of certain phenomena are always available, so how well do the claims made about each clip really reflect everything out there on the internet? It is impossible for one to examine every video on YouTube, so can conclusions about YouTube really be made? An analysis can use a sample size of videos to draw deductions, but how valid are these conclusions? The stipulations formed from the analysis of a phenomenon as broad as YouTube are indeed valid, based on the sample size, but may not be suitable for extrapolations about YouTube as a whole. This statement is supported by the evidence that on YouTube itself, many videos are posted “in response” to others. For example, two videos may be assuming completely different claims, and so which one ought to be used to draw conclusions about American culture?

The inherent lack of similarity between all YouTube videos makes it tough for everything witnessed on YouTube to assume validity and truth. So, is it bad that not everything we see on YouTube or, consequently, can conclude about YouTube, is true? I claim that this very characteristic of YouTube makes it a realer representation of American culture. Within our societies, there is often dispute, debate, and conversation between members of opposing groups, people with different ideas, children with different views of the world. The lack of commonality amongst YouTube videos, and the fact that they can be interpreted in so many different ways, is demonstrative of America’s individualism and respect for each other’s voices. There is a collaborative spirit within a competitive one, where diversity is the norm, and assumptions, conclusions cannot always be made.

Not so Pretty Images

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su4todxH1J4

In the previous blog posting, it is stipulated and implied that YouTube does a fine job of propagating a positive image of America worldwide. This argument, however, is challenged by the presence of many videos online which make negative claims about America—in this way YouTube might not be all fine and dandy for those worried about America’s national image in the international realm.

In the video whose link is posted above, American politics are thoroughly ridiculed. The video’s maker claims that the main pitfalls of American politics are its inefficiency and the ignorance of leaders. George Bush and Condoleezza Rice are used as the two representatives of American politics in this video, and their lack of effective communication is the main point of mockery in the skit. The fact that George Bush is himself unaware of the name of China’s leader is itself a way of portraying the idea that American politics are downhill due to the ignorance of its leaders. Secondly, the inability for Rice and Bush to communicate with each other in a way that makes sense and results in a coherent conversation mocks the bureaucracy inherent within the American form of government, and shows the inefficiencies as well as the structural deficiencies of the system. At the end of the day, however, the video is inherently funny. But, why is it funny?

The humor stems from the notion that the American system of government, as it is portrayed, is pitiful. The video gives only negative connotations to all of politics, making the sadness of the situation so grave that it becomes funny. People laugh at this video for the same reason they laugh when they score a 10/100 on a quiz, or analogous.

Since the audience in this video is not laughing with the content, but rather at the content, this video displays a negative image of America. It is argued in the last post that humor is definitive of a culture and of a national identity, but it is also commonly established that a nation’s politics define its international role and standing. Thus, in this way, YouTube also plays a role in propagating a negative image of America, which influences its worldwide image.

To conclude, this posting and the last, then, it is established that YouTube spreads images of America, its culture and politics, to an international audience. Whether these images are good or bad though, depend on the video of choice and of the field of interest (politics, humor, etc.)

Self-Degradation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkUzU1Ce7rQ

This video is one of a group of American Economists, from the American Economic Association. In 2010, they held a humor session, in which they exchanged “jokes” relating to economics, or those which mock the stereotypical economist.

This video is representative of American humor because of the type and style of humor being portrayed. One man stands at the front of the room, telling jokes that would be, in normal circumstances, offensive to the group of people sitting before him. The jokes that were being told ridiculed and mocked the average economists, which presumably, made up the entire audience. As previously mentioned in another blog post, one characteristic of American humor is being able to say things or ridicule things in an acceptable manner which would not be acceptable otherwise, in normal, non-humorous circumstances. Another way in which this video is reflective of American humor is that there is one person, amongst this group of many, who is standing at the front of the room and is entertaining his colleagues, his equals. In this way, the man is essentially making fun of himself when he tells a joke that mocks his audience. Additionally, he is calling attention onto himself, and then ridiculing the exact type of persona that he embodies. In this way, the humor is potentially self-degrading and demonstrates a characteristic of humility amongst the American public—a willingness to be mocked, for the larger sake of entertainment.

The role which YouTube plays in propagating this type of humor demonstrates its role as an international source of information. It reflects the values of American culture as typically as possible; ie this video depicts self-mockery, humor, and a collaborative spirit. As YouTube projects this image of America, even the most ostensibly pretentious of Americans, economists, being somewhat self-degrading and showing a sense of humility, America’s national image is being affected. Sure, politics, sports, and the arts are demonstrative of a culture—but in a similar vain, humor is reflective of a culture. YouTube effectively creates and spreads the projects of American culture created through technology, and is a way for people of different cultures to understand, witness, and be a part of American culture.

Serious Claims by Way of Animation?

In this posting, I discuss an example of a different type of video—an animation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_fPV13lKm4

This video is a representation of one person’s thoughts, in the form of visual art. The topics touched upon range from the rapidity of identity change that is now possible to the phenomenon of technology taking over our lives, all the way to divinity and history. The characterization of the stick figure as “The Chosen One” is both a source of humor and a way for the author to make a serious claim. Often, in popular culture, people throw around the term “The Chosen One” as a way of mocking those who deem themselves as great, or in order to mock those who are most definitely not great. It is generally a source of humor because of its connection to divinity and history (serious, sacred, revered topics) and its simultaneous application to mocking situations.

Humor in this video is also derived from the way the stick figure is animated. He is given a sledgehammer and instantaneously breaks down a mirror; a mysterious shotgun shoots at the stick figure who quickly breaks the shotgun in half. The uncanny abilities of this lean, thin, flexible stick figure are so unrealistic that they are simply funny to the average man. This relates to America’s obsession with failure, and of making fun of peoples inabilities, as explained in the first blog post.

This brings me to the main point of this post: animations allow the author to craft serious situations in a humorous light. The video's creator touches upon the notion of identity change, and how quickly it is possible for one’s identity to be altered. For example, the creation of the being (the stick figure, in this case), is so easily controlled by the typing in of a word into a dialog box—a killer, a victim, or a “BEAST” could all have easily been created. This is a very serious topic nowadays, especially with the coming of internet security and the possibilities of identity theft. The creator of the video touches upon this facet also while creating a scene using AOL Instant Messenger, a feature known to have been the source of many internet identity safety threats. Such serious topics are brought to light in a comical way by their funny portrayal. For example, as the creator is deciding which identity to give the stick figure, the video portrays the creator as simply indecisive—as he/she keeps writing something down, then changing his mind. The viewer is mainly laughing at the creator’s inability to decide on a protagonist and keep his choice. Underneath this humor, though, are the pressing issues of today which affect technology users such as those reading this blog.

YouTube plays a role in propagating such forms of self-expression, a prominent characteristic of American culture, because it allows anyone anywhere to post a video. This video was presumably a self-made production, and it allows for the creator to express his opinions about serious topics, in a humorous way, to a large audience. In this way, YouTube is the haven for different forms of media, those which appear to be serious, and those which don’t yet turn out to be.

Comparison of British and American Humor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKda79DSQH0&NR=1

YouTube is a modem to reach an international audience. Here, we can see how YouTube lends itself to a comparison of humor between different cultures. In this case, Aishwariya Rai, who was crowned Miss World in 1994, a Bollywood actress and international superstar, appears on the David Letterman show. Known to be a humorous, informal, interview show, Letterman and Rai bring different styles of humor to the scene.

Letterman is what some people take to be the epitome of American humor, some slapstick, not always serious, sometimes mocking humor. Meanwhile, Rai, hailing from India, has a very British sense of humor which is more witty, fast, quick, and refuting. Thus, in a scene where they are meant to have a friendly, funny, entertaining conversation, the crossover and comparison of the American and British styles of humor become apparent.

Letterman garners most of his humor from subtle mockery. For example, after asking Rai which languages she can speak (all of which are Indian languages), he proudly states something to the effect of, “Well in America, we speak English”. This statement discreetly mocks India’s diversity as well as America’s universality. Most important to note though, is that Letterman’s declaration gets a great laugh from the audience who find this exclamation hilarious. Letterman’s simple statement is pithy and funny because of its statement of the obvious; Letterman states the obvious as if it is a novel declaration, thereby mocking Rai by implicitly claiming she is unaware of the fact that English is spoken in America.

While Letterman creates humor through mockery, Rai is funny by way of her quick retorts. She turns a negative situation into a positive one extremely easily. At about the 3:00 mark in the video, Letterman asks Rai if she is an international superstar and is recognized globally for her stardom. She responds by saying something similar to, “Well, I just got a [makes a mocking, negative face] from you, so….” Presumably, Rai was mildly offended by Letterman making this face at her at a previous point during the show, and quickly turns it against him by retorting to his question with a sentiment he himself previously expressed. This answer, also garnering laughs from the audience, is smart, quick, and clever. The clever wit which goes along with this situation is characteristic of British humor, and is starkly contrasted from the type of humor exhibited by Letterman.

YouTube brings this video and the consequent comparison of different styles of humor to the international eye by placing an excerpt of the American show in the international eye. YouTube, a means of promoting communication between cultures, plays a critical role in facilitating intercultural connections and essentially allows the comparison of different styles of humor.

A Song Parody

In this entry, I examine a video which characterizes a large portion of YouTube videos—a song parody:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CqbZNHaf1o

This one is of Estelle’s song “American Boy”—it is sung by an adolescent and is entitled “First Asian Boy”. In the song, the adolescent, a young Asian boy, is convincing a girl that being Asian is not a negative characteristic of a boy. He goes as far as to imply that having an Asian boyfriend can have many perks. This video incorporates humor in different ways and makes one central claim about American culture and humor’s role in it.

From this video, I conclude that humor is a mechanism which people use to challenge a belief, or voice an opinion. In this case, the adolescent is voicing his opinion against racism in relationships; making the claim that race should not be a factor in determining the eligibility of a boy as a boyfriend. He even claims that there are some very advantageous sides of being in a relationship with an Asian boy, listing examples such as delicious Asian snacks. Although this YouTube video is not directed against someone specifically, it refutes the presumably commonly held belief that Asian boys are not suitable boyfriends. In this way, the video is a way for the adolescent to express his emotions and voice his opinions.

Traditional American culture promotes individualism, with each person having his/her own voice. YouTube is a mode of creativity which offers a great venue for self-expression, and thus YouTube encourages the furthering of American culture and ideals. Moreover, not only does YouTube allow the delivery of self-expression, but it does so in an extremely effective way.

In this case, humor is being used in the video because it is a parody of a very famous, successful song. Parodies are generally deemed to be humorous in American culture because of their relationship to something dear, and because they are, in some form, a mockery of the original version. The creation of a parody assumes that the parody is better than the original, that an amateur could create something more entertaining and plausible than the professional. Thus, parodies in general seem to be mockeries of the original and thus have an inherent humor. What does this humorous aspect of parodies have to do with the claim?

The claim is that YouTube is an effective mode of self-expression. Because parodies are funny, they tend to stick out more in people’s minds. By voicing his claim through an entertaining video, the adolescent’s claim becomes more memorable and is more effectively communicated. YouTube offers a venue for the demonstration of American ideals of individual thought and is an effective means of delivering opinions and creating strong claims.

Video Analysis: An Ameriquest Commercial

In search of a form of American humor which I could write about, I searched “American funny” on youtube. One of the first things that came up was a collection of Ameriquest commercials, all deemed funny by the uploader. Thus, the YouTube video was entitled “American Funny Commercials”. In this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1yA8HK_280, five different commercials are shown, each of which has the punchline, “Don’t Judge Too Quickly…We Won’t”. In each of the commercials, an awkward and tension-filled situation is brought about, where things aren’t the way they seem. Through this facet, Ameriquest can deliver its message that they are a relatively impartial mortgage company.

Anyways, now to focus on the important part of the video—the humorous situations. In the first commercial, a husband is preparing a romantic dinner for his wife, which their dog goes on to spill all over the kitchen floor. As the husband picks up the dog, his wife walks in and assumes that the husband was inflicting some harm upon their dog. This situation seems humorous to the average person because we feel bad for the husband and are laughing at his misfortune simultaneously. Although the husband’s situation is a sympathetic one, Americans often laugh at others’ failures, as in this case. Americans, for some reason or the other, like to see others’ hardship, perhaps because of some strange individualistic superiority theory. Also, since this situation is one which I’m sure many people can relate to, it makes it establishes a tie between the “average Ameriquest consumer” and the public. In this case, it becomes clear how humor uncovers a seemingly inexistent link and can craftily depict the similarities between people.

The first commercial was the one that I personally found funniest and most revealing about the role of humor in American culture. YouTube, as the media by which this commercial was made permanently available to the public, was a mechanism for delivering a humorous account to the public. In this way, YouTube acts as a channel for entertainment and allows a broader audience to interact with humor.