The Effectiveness of Humor and Emotions, Specifically in the Works of Noem Carroll and Carl Plantinga

Emotions and Humor’s Effectiveness: I learned Something Today

To begin, I will give a brief overview on the effect emotions have on our media viewing experience. In particular, I will be examining the work of Noem Carroll and Carl Plantinga. Second, I will give a brief overview of the research that connects political humor viewing to positive outcomes including increased political knowledge, and the ability to learn various view points as well as greater understanding of one’s own viewpoint. Though, I understand that their is a raging debate between cognitivist and non-cognitivist. My goal is not to take a position on the debate, but I am merely going to give a brief overview of the literature on film and emotion. On one hand, Carl Plantinga argues that emotions can be defined as "Concern Based Construals.” To highlight this meaning, let us imagine that as I am writing this paper, I hear loud noises, as this is going on, unconsciously, my heart rate increases and respiration increase and I begin to develop the emotion of fear. This is similar to Noel Carroll’s theory of emotion, if not complimentary to Plantinga’s view. Carroll would say that emotions act as searchlights to help us focus on the perceptions necessary to deal with the current experience. Plantinga would concede that many of the affects associated with emotions occur in the cognitive unconscious. So, Plantinga is not saying that, “Emotions are mere judgements,” As Robert Solomon would claim, but emotions are driven by experience based on one’s personal perception. In other words, Plantinga is saying the these construals are based on one’s personal experiences, whether conscious or not. However, something should be said about Construals in of itself, th...

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...roll’s theory of Art and Mood. Carroll would respond why comedy allows us to easily accept politically lased humor is because the comedian is able to set a mood that biases the cognition of the subject. So, when we view The Daily Show’s discussion of Fox New’s claim that both Santa and Jesus are white, John Stewart is able to bias our cognitive processes by creating a spill over effect of arousing emotions. In other words, the moods set for us are set by emotions, but not emotions per se because moods have no object to direct it cognitive processes. Rather, Carroll would like to say that mood and other affective states like the startle response are actually cognitive impenetrable responses, so that is why Trey Parker and Matt Stone, John Stewart, and others are able to present a whitty comment that may be funny, but later on we are able to process the comment.