Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Existing studies of virtù underestimate Machiavelli’s interest in its revitalization. By conceiving the revitalization of virtù as Machiavelli’s primary concern, this paper reveals the connections between virtù, mode of proceeding, and umori (humors). Virtù refers to the capacity to cope with adversity. It is nothing but a right mode of proceeding in a right moment. For Machiavelli, mode of proceeding is partly dictated by nature, i.e., humor, partly by political constitution. The latter is gotten through political constitution. Umori has two meanings: the humor in the human body and the political forces that constitute the state as a mixed body. Each individual’s mode of proceeding can solve a certain kind of problem in a certain kind of circumstance. However, it cannot solve every kind of problem in every kind of circumstance. Inflexible virtù cannot cope with whimsical situations. Rather, an unpredictable world can be managed only by a constitution, which can recruit as many virtuous men as possible and put them in the right place. But first, it is important to constitute the umori of the state - the people and the nobility - to make Governo largo, a broadly based republic. Governo largo or popular government makes it possible for men with different kinds of virtù to solve different kinds of problems. Furthermore, the broadly based republic teaches its citizens the virtuous mode of proceeding, such as acting for the public good. Virtù can only be revitalized by intervening in the citizen’s and state’s mode of proceeding. To do so, the connections between virtù, mode of proceeding, and umori has to be taken into consideration.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Despite its great importance to social interaction, and its cultural specificity, humor is all but ignored in sociology. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of humor style and social background in the Netherlands and the United States, based on a combination of interviews and a survey. In the Netherlands, humor styles are shown to be mostly connected to class background, although there are significant gender and age differences as well. Contrary to expectation, the American study also shows a highbrow-lowbrow division in humor styles. However, whereas Dutch highbrow humor seems to be based mostly on criteria of form and genre, American highbrow humor seems to be more content-based. Also, gender differences seem to be more pronounced in the US than in the Netherlands, whereas age differences are stronger in the Netherlands. A general comparison of American and Dutch humor styles shows a strong moral discourse on humor in the United States, complemented by a discourse on humor as playfulness, whereas in the Netherlands the discourse on humor seems to revolve around a distinction between intellectual challenge and sociability.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Humor has long been an important tool for Presidential candidates while on the campaign trail. Such Presidents as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton have been lauded for their humor; even George W. Bush in the 2004 election used humor to good effect on the campaign trail (Stewart and Cundall, 2007). The use of humor by candidates has been known to humanize them while endearing them to their constituents. However, while this humor may be self-deprecatory, reducing the chasm between candidate and voter while establishing the candidates’ personal qualities, it can also be used as a tool to attack and denigrate opponents both within and outside the candidate’s political party. Therefore, this paper proposes to analyze the use of humor by Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates during the first three debates of the 2008 electoral season for each party (Democrats: April 26, June 3, June 28; Republicans: May 3, May 15, June 5). Data in terms of speaking time per candidate, number of laughter-eliciting humorous comments, focus of the jokes in terms of persons and/or issues, and the joke teller’s and target’s status as front-runner or second tier candidate will be analyzed. Hypotheses to be tested include: H1 – Front runners receive more speaking time than second tier candidates; H2 – Front runners will make more laughter-eliciting humorous comments as a proportion of their time than second tier candidates; H3a – Front runners will make laughter-eliciting humorous comments that denigrate opposing candidates more so than second tier candidates.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: City councils provide multiple views of group communication. Council members have multiple commitments to themselves, their fellow council members, their constituency and other social organizations. Humor provides a way to address these multiple, and often conflicting, needs in a manner that is acceptable within the context of the public meeting.

Consider the vote at the July 2000 meeting of the Boulder, Colorado City Council regarding the pet guardianship issue. The Council doggedly analyzed this agenda item many hours into a lengthy meeting. The issue to replace the name owner with guardian was embedded in almost 40 pages of ordinance revisions, yet that single word change had ignited the attention of the public and media—not always favorably either.

When the Council debated the practicality of a nomenclature change from pet owner to pet guardian, not surprisingly, humor surfaced in many ways.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: To further understand individual differences in mass communication effects, this paper focuses on the development, testing, and validation of a “humor appreciation” scale. Several conceptual propositions are forwarded, including that humor appreciation is a multidimensional construct–i.e., multiple “senses of humor” are possible. Data from three surveys–two student surveys and a general population survey--are examined, with results indicating that sense of humor may properly be viewed as multidimensional, and emergent humor dimensions may be validated with preferences for particular media content. Findings are compared to the initial set of propositions, and the usefulness of senses of humor as a communication “trait” is explored.