Bo Burnham and Self-Deprecation in Comedy
Self-Deprecation is arguably one of the most popular comedic styles these days. People enjoy putting themselves down, making themselves the butt of the jokes, because it’s easier to make yourself a joke before someone else does. Sigmund Freud talked about self-deprecation, along with other comedic devices, as a way to make one feel superior to others, and I think that even now that definitely a thing. The list of comedians who use self-deprecating humor goes on and on, but my personal favorite would be Bo Burnham, who has centered his entire career on making fun of himself, while also critiquing society as a whole. His latest show “what.” is a shining example of that, since with almost each and every bit he does he’s constantly putting himself down in the name of comedy.
Burnham’s latest show, and his other shows that he has done, are always done through an on-stage persona that is both incredibly self-interested, as well as self-deprecated. The character is sexually ambiguous, but he often references being referred to as many homophobic slurs, usually by old classmates or his parents, even though in real life Burnham’s parents don’t actually hate him and are very supportive of his career. He makes himself the butt of almost every joke he delivers, whether it’s through song or through poetry. The whole first eight minutes of the show is a bunch of miming jokes, and one of the recorded jokes is constantly making jokes at his expense, such as “He has a giant head and tiny nipples,” and “You’re an asshole, Bo… You will die alone and you will deserve it.”
In particular, there is one bit he does in his show that is called “The Left and Right Brain.” This is a song that is sung by his left a...
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...of control. All of these moments get a lot of laughter in response, so it definitely falls in line with what Freud was talking about.
There are so many other examples of Bo Burnham’s comic genius than the ones discussed here. His humor is crude, and dirty, but also so insightful, and the way he blends them into this giant, theatrical, self-deprecating manner makes him, in my opinion, one of the most talented comedians in the industry today. Despite the character that he plays, Burnham has moments of true self-expression, making it known explicitly that what he does is all an act, and that while his character may think he’s better than others, Bo Burnham himself does not. He knows just how much to push and he knows how to get the laughs, and I’m sure he would find it incredibly hilarious that he’s been related to Sigmund Freud’s theories in a college English paper.
As Tina Fey learned throughout her life, being able to laugh at yourself is a key component to success. In her 2011 book, Bossypants, Tina Fey constantly pokes fun at herself, but in the best way possible. She discusses her childhood, her awkward stages of growing up, and some of her most embarrassing moments as an adult. By utilizing self-deprecating humor, Tina Fey makes her novel amusing and entertaining—something that contributed greatly to her success as a comedian.
From these comedians, satirical humor expresses some opinions about political acts so people can view them more critically.
Steve Almond’s “Funny is the New Deep” talks of the role that comedy has in our current society, and most certainly, it plays a huge role here. Namely, through what Almond [Aristotle?] calls the “comic impulse”, we as a people can speak of topics that would otherwise make many of uncomfortable. Almond deems the comic impulse as the most surefire way to keep heavy situations from becoming too foreboding. The comic impulse itself stems from our ability and unconscious need to defend and thus contend with the feeling of tragedy. As such, instead of rather forcing out humor, he implies that humor is something that is not consciously forced out from an author, but instead is more of a subconscious entity, coming out on its own. Almond emphasizes
Freud, S., Strachey, J., Freud, A., Rothgeb, C., & Richards, A. (1953). The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (1st ed.). London: Hogarth Press.
Wilson, Sarah. "Sigmund Freud and the oedipal complex." The Observer”. Guardian News and Media, 8 Mar. 2009. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/mar/08/sigmund-freud-oedipal-complex>.
In Alain de Botton’s book, Status Anxiety, he argues that the aim of humorists is not solely entertainment, but also to convey a message that isn’t always okay to state directly. There are many places where his argument can apply. Even with humor, some topics are still too controversial to joke about; However, in most cases, humor can lighten things up and make it easier to discuss topics that otherwise would not be as easy to talk about without heavy arguments. There are many cases that would make his argument true. There are many examples that support his argument, and that help to show the importance of humor in arguing, including cartoons, comics, works of literature, and also when thinking of hosts of television programs.
Sigmund Freud believed that he “occupies a special place in the history of psychoanalysis and marks a turning point, it was with it that analysis took the step from being a psychotherapeutic procedure to being in depth-psychology” (Jones). Psychoanalysis is a theory or therapy to decode the puzzle of neurotic disorders like hysteria. During the therapy sessions, the patients would talk about their dreams. Freud would analyze not only the manifest content (what the dreamer remembers) of the dreams, but the disguise that caused the repressions of the idea. During our dreams, the decision making part of personality’s defenses are lowered allowing some of the repressed material to become more aware in a distorted form. He distinguished between
I have listened and looked at many of his quotes and cannot seem to gather what type of person he really is. He says things like “become good at cheating and you will never need to become good at anything else” and then turns around and says things like “I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” These both just make me think different things about him like with the first quote, he is that guy that is like cheat your way through live you will make it, life is a joke. Just do what you have to so that you can get on with your day. That quote does not really give me room to look up to him so to speak. With the second quote I feel like he has a heart and that he just wants to be famous and known. He wants his name to carry on and wants to feel loved. I feel like that is most desired in
Of the copious number of topics in the world today, nothing captivated Sigmund Freud’s attention like psychology did. Known as the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud laid the foundations for comprehending the inner workings that determine human behavior (1). Through his involvement with the hypnosis, dream analysis, psychosexual stages, and the unconscious as a whole, Freud began a new revolution that faced its own conflict but eventually brought the harvest of new knowledge and clarity to the concept of the mind.
Sigmund Freud has been heralded as one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. He is renowned for his discoveries about the human mind, particularly dreams, fantasies, and the role of the unconscious. Even though many of his theories were (and are) viewed as controversial, his ideas revolutionized the way people think about themselves. The potency of his notions have permeated almost every discipline, including literature, art, and medicine. This paper will examine the life, the influences, and the impact of Sigmund Freud. It will begin by discussing who he is, his personal history, and then talk about his role in the development of psychoanalysis. Next it will discuss some of the individuals who greatly inspired Freud. Finally, it will move on to talk about some of those upon whom Freud was an influence.
The driving force behind this theory is that all experiences are internalized and influence the ongoing actions of every individual. The relationship between unconscious and conscious drives is vital to understand, because this is what motivates behavior according to Freud. This theory is a social construction, just as all theories are, of Freud’s own experiences. It is important to understand this, and to take the good with the
Sigmund Freud created strong theories in science and medicine that are still studied today. Freud was a neurologist who proposed many distinctive theories in psychiatry, all based upon the method of psychoanalysis. Some of his key concepts include the ego/superego/id, free association, trauma/fantasy, dream interpretation, and jokes and the unconscious. “Freud remained a determinist throughout his life, believing that all vital phenomena, including psychological phenomena like thoughts, feelings and phantasies, are rigidly determined by the principle of cause and effect” (Storr, 1989, p. 2). Through the discussion of those central concepts, Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis becomes clear as to how he construed human character.
Freud, Sigmund. “Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria (“Dora”).” The Freud Reader. Ed. Peter Gay. Trans. James Strachey. New York: Norton, 1995. 172-239.
Wilde’s didactic satire delves deep into the problems of society, highlighting to the audience all the flaws of human beings and their social obligations while keeping it light-hearted and enjoyable for audiences. The author’s mockery and satire of society, as seen in his play, is most likely stemmed from his lack of acceptance and frustration at the society he believes to be ‘proper’. Readers today laugh at the situations portrayed because they are satirical and humourous, but they also question the motives behind the character “Earnest” because they see that “earnest”, meaning seriousness or sincerity, is the one thing the characters most certainly do not portray. However, towards the end of the play, when all has come out, Jack states that “I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest” (Wilde 2000, p.358), which may in fact be the most blatantly satirical line of the play, and a great summation of the lies the play relied on. This explores Wilde’s use of double entendre as Jack lives a double life, alongside the use of an elaborate p...
The nature of comedy has always left it somewhat resistant to critical analysis, and to some extent the same can be said for comedic actors. The class-clowns of Hollywood like Will Ferrell are often times constructed as being nothing more than amusing, so they seem like a simple case study.... ... middle of paper ... ...