Carly Risom
Reporter
It was almost destined for the 2012 election to be filled with political parodies. This being my first election with access to the endless possibilities of the Internet, I found myself personally victimized by CollegeHumor. Unlike Regina George, I was not pushed into a bus. Instead, I was pushed into a world of videos and mock debate notes.
I was first exposed to the world of political jokes on a bus heading to the Bronx Zoo for a Bio field trip, (hollaback to Ms. Brooks’ periods 3 and 6 classes.) I was sitting in the back, among many of my classmates, when an iPhone was shoved in my face by one of my friends. “Read this, it’s so funny!” It was the morning after a debate, and the image appeared to be a mock debate notepad filled with Barry’s “notes” from the previous night’s showdown. Barry O is our president and everything, but this particular image was absolutely hilarious. The top of the paper read, “Who owns this house? Oh, that’s right. You do, B. You do.” Under “Topics to Discuss” were; “Michelle,” “People I’ve Met in Small Towns w/ Unemployment Problems,” and “Mitt’s got a bigger flag pin than me…” Eventually, the entire back of our bus had read it and we all were dying laughing. Who wouldn’t?
Photo from www.collegehumor.com
I was even more entertained when a friend of mine introduced me to a video online, also concocted by CollegeHumor. (By the way, if you guys are reading this, props to you. You seem to have a lot of time on your hands in college, but you’re still great.) Anyway, I clicked the link and was once again enthralled by the comedic genius of these people. The actor, portraying Mitt, was shown living an extremely luxurious lifestyle; lounging on a golf course, smoking a cigar in a sauna, poppin’ bottles with his wife, playing croquet, and singing about his Swiss bank accounts.
After noticing how much the scenes reminded me of my home sweet home, I found myself questioning why I thought it was so funny. I suppose the answer is quite simple. The presidential candidates are like one of those “symbols” your English teacher makes you analyze over and over. What does the symbol represent in terms of plot? How does it impact the main character of the novel? Similarly to the apparently significant “chair” in the book you are currently “reading” in English class, the candidates are the symbols of both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as America as a nation. We see them with impassive expressions on T.V. and on posters, and their names in huge block letters on the cover of The New York Times. But it is seeing them placed in such crass situations that makes it so funny. Even though this election season is over, make sure you catch a couple of these Internet sensations. (Especially the SNL skit, the belligerent African-American woman screaming about the phone Obama gave her and why we as a country should vote for him, as well as the allegedly intoxicated Diana Sawyer on ABC news.)
Romney/Ryan 2012 everybody. Jk.
