John Stewart & Steven Colbert: Comparative Study of Political Humor

1. John Stewart
A Comparative Study of Political Humor
Stephen Colbert

2. Just a Snippet
http://www.thedailyshow.com/collections/60-
seconds-videos
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-
videos/268831/april-01-2010/4-1-10-in--60-seconds

3. Preliminary Questioning
What kind of linguistic devices do both men use to
develop and define their humor?
Non-verbal gestures, articulation/emphasis, joke
types, slang/colloquial language
Do they use similar or different patterns of these
devices to achieve their uniqueness?
How come these two shows, which air back-to-back on
a nightly basis, are not redundant?

4. The Aim of the Inquiry
Not comparing laughs or majority opinion
Humor is all about perception  how do you analyze
an inherently biased concept?
A manipulation of language to obtain a desired
sarcastic reception by audience
Dependent upon each man’s shaping of language and
these four devices

5. Methodology
Five stage process:
1. Watch both episodes on given day back to back
with minimal notes.
2. Re-watch each episode, pausing when needed to
transcribe pertinent utterances.
3. Organize original written notes (both general notes
and transcriptions) into Excel spreadsheet.
4. Refine categorization and labeling to pinpoint
patterns.
5. Analyze determined linguistic patterns of each man
and give it quantifiable significance both individually
and comparatively.

6. Organized
Data

7. Final Comparative Results

8. Implications of Results
Quantifying shows how
Patterns are distinctive but
not restrictive
Unique and fluid
combination of four
devices each night avoids
redundancy

9. Breaking it Down
One Last Time
Stewart’s style is marked by his creative articulation and non-
verbal gestures
Colbert’s style takes on the form
of idioms, neologisms, and
multi-faceted jokes
Contemporary political sculptors
“Never the twain shall meet.”
– Stephen Colbert