4. The Personal and the Political

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS vii
3. Introduction 1
4. 1. Losing Our Religion 5
5. 2. “Showmen Is Devoid of Politics”: The Roots of Pseudo-Satire and the Rise of the Comedy-Industrial Complex 21
6. 3. Film at 11:00, Jokes at 11:30: Topical Comedy and the News 39
7. 4. The Personal and the Political 62
8. 5. Pay No Attention to That Man in Front of the Curtain 88
9. 6. Truth versus Truthiness; or, Looking for Mr. Smith 125
10. 7. For Whom the Bell Dings 146
11. 8. Laughing All the Way to the White House 170
12. 9. Irony Is Dead . . . Long Live Satire? 194
13. Acknowledgments 209
14. Notes 211
15. Index 245