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Humorists In The Ugly Truth About Beauty And The Daily Show

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Although not recognized easily, humor is an effective tool that can influence the society. As Alain de Botton argues in his book Status Anxiety, humorists serve a vital function in that they satirize the social problems without offending any particular groups. They identify the troubles, exaggerate through humor, and effectively deliver the messages they have intended. The position of humorists can be recognized simply through media that people encounter everyday. Dave Barry’s The Ugly Truth about Beauty and Jon Stewart on The Daily Show reveals how humorists' indirect criticisms through wit can change the world by acknowledging people about the problems that are embedded in themselves. Dave Barry, in his essay The Ugly Truth about Beauty, demonstrates how humorists are crucial in identifying problems and considering solutions by indirectly criticizing women’s obsession with beauty. Since the 1970s, as the standards of beauty have changed, people have begun to manipulate their bodies to reach the ideal state of beauty. Compared to men, women have spent even more time and efforts to begin new lives by abandoning their original identities. Barry implicitly criticizes women by creating a …show more content…

Stewart specifically deals with political issues that can be offensive to the government politicians. However, because he is a humorist, not a critic, the audience are not offended by Stewart’s words. Instead, his words act as catalysts that enable the public, who are originally forced to follow the government’s orders, to form their own opinions about the problems. Moreover, politicians, who can be insulted, are not able to refute Stewart because he does not present his arguments directly. Different from critics, humorists can present their opinions without arguments. Humorists can manipulate humor as a tool for the public to realize about

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