This is a Laughing Matter: Stand-Up Comedy Tactics and their Facilitation of Routine Creation

The rise of political polarization in America has contributed to a demand for alternative forms of political discourse, notably political stand-up comedy. This shift toward comedic expression in politics is attributed to humor’s accessibility in presenting divergent perspectives. Previous research has primarily dissected political stand-up comedy through the content analysis of individual comedian’s routines, without addressing how comedians’ tactics can then translate to original routine creation. Filling this gap is pivotal to increasing political stand-up comedy creation. Thus, this study integrates data from a content analysis across multiple comedians into the production of an original political stand-up comedy routine. By doing so, it offers novel insight into how preferred stand-up tactics can foster the development of original political stand-up comedy routines. The findings indicate that comedians frequently employ tactics that invoke a sense of superiority over a third party, and that implementing these tactics does facilitate the creative process.