During my comment on the Daily Show's terrible treatment of Judge Napolitano, I mentioned that these type of shows generally have professional laughers dispersed in the audience. A commneter to the post questioned that statement. My thanks to Sean, who found a Wired piece revealing the fact:
The Humor Code: Professional Laughers Straight Out of Central Casting
A friend of mine interned for the Daily Show during the premiere summer of the Colbert Report. One of his tasks was to sit in Colbert's studio audience and laugh loudly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would make sense. They're not all that funny but always hear people laughing. Inflation for everything including laughter. They must have implemented this tactic quite a bit during the 2000's for that stupid college humor crap.
ReplyDeleteI had always thought they liquored people up and did some actual funny standup to warm people up. This is interesting about the professional laughers.
ReplyDeleteSome of their stuff is funny sometimes(Daily Show/Colbert Report), but they always retreat behind this business of "we're just a comedy show" after some hack job that they've done right before discussions/debate gets really serious and involved.
ReplyDeleteThey get to have their cake and eat it too.
That makes sense. Claiming the Civil War was about a tariff is not really that funny. It's stupid, but not really that funny.
ReplyDeleteJW, From the horse's mouth: Lincoln, when asked, “Why not let the South go in peace”? replied; “I can’t let them go. Who would pay for the government”? “And, what then will become of my tariff”?
DeleteAbraham Lincoln to Virginia Compromise Delegation March 1861
Lone, chirping cricket
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