For Scott Aceman.
Comedians should actually run for office.
Why?
a) They have the fastest brain to mouth speed of the human race. It is easy to see that they are sorta super fast rationalizers. So by the time you go from A to B they are at Z. This might be good for the basic problem of politics these days which is based on winning an argument vs. solving a problem.
b) They are rhetorically smart. This is surely better than the blathering rhetorical stupidity one hears in a parliament or congress these days. In other words they can give you a coherent description of the hypocrisy (or if you like a more neutral word….paradox) that is the basic building block of “civilization”.
c) They are experts in evolutionary psychology who understand innately that people do things for two reasons: 1) to decrease their fear, and 2) to increase their status. The problem is that people will not admit it. Ninety nine percent of comedy is pointing out this denial in a pointed way.
d) They can tell a story. For instance, Viagra was initially investigated as an anti-anginal drug. That didn’t work out. Obviously. But men did not want to give the drug back at the end of the study and sat in a funny way in the waiting room. A comedian could turn this into a very funny story with virtually no effort.
There is a certain antisepsis that laughter throws on our infective politics which probably evolved from when we were first tickled as babies. We could use more light of laughter shone on our extreme woke dogmatism these days.
ps-Sorry. Yes. I know. Said “these days” too much. LOL