Arwen Struthers Dr. Gardner COM 491: Senior Seminar 5 May 2020 The DNC, GOP, and SNL Abstract This essay examines political polarization in the United States, focusing on late-night comedy shows as a contributing factor. While only one of many complex causes of increased political tension in America, these news commentary programs play a unique role in political life. The late-night show landscape has experienced a significant shift in content over the past five years and viewer demographics demonstrate how late-night show approval frequently coincides with partisan bias. After also taking into account the power and potential of humor as a tool of communication, we can evaluate the appropriate responsibilities of a late-night show in the United States today. Once we know what a late-night comedy should be doing, we must ask ourselves the question: is creating non-disparaging political humor suited for the late-night show format possible in today’s era? Political Polarization Many Americans feel the presence of political tension on a daily basis. From consuming the news to endlessly scrolling through social media, politics typically finds a way to take center stage. Deep partisanship is “one of the defining aspects of our American society today” (Newport). The divide between red and blue has grown wider, putting pressure upon politicians to align consistently with their party and developing a stronger “us vs. them” narrative within parties. With the approach of the 2020 election, the solidification of the two dominant presidential candidates, and the need for political leadership in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, political frustrations on all sides are surfacing more frequently. This polarization can have incredibly harmful effects, such as inaction positioned to deter political opponents (Newport). An unwillingness to compromise pervades American politics. The political structures in the American state and the democratic nature of our nation require compromise. Yet, the political inaction within the United States prevents much needed governing processes from functioning appropriately. Another negative impact of increased polarization is a decreasing trust in social institutions. A healthy variety of social institutions, such as the government, mass media, and religious organizations, are one way to provide for and support individuals and their communities. However, these organizations, integral to a properly functioning society, are no longer trusted. “Partisans on both sides increasingly see institutions in the U.S. not as beneficial and necessary, but as a part of an effort by the other side to gain advantage… These skeptical views of institutions and social structures skew us toward distrust, anger and internal infighting – not actionable efforts to fix problems and address threats” (Newport). Polarization can create a mentality that prevents us from engaging with those who have differing political opinions, while also increasing our negative opinions of those outside of our inner circle. Within the United States, increasing political polarization is a serious and multifaceted problem that has negative consequences for the individual, the community, and American democracy. American polarization is a complex issue and there are many causes and contributors. No one source can be named as the sole reason for such high political tensions, although Twitter comes pretty close. It is actually a wide variety of factors simultaneously at work, from decades- old court decisions to fake news, from increasing party homogeneity to the speed, length, and immense reach of social media posts. While there are many causes of polarization within the United States, as a student of communication I am drawn to the impact of rhetoric upon the political climate. Rhetoric used across varying mediums, from social media to news analysis, has the potential to strengthen polarizing opinions, destroying opportunities for political discourse. Research has shown that those who are ideologically consistent are less likely to see dissenting perspectives and more likely to see those who they agree with in the news and on social media (Mitchell). Even when consuming the news, Republicans and Democrats have significantly different preferences and regard the trustworthiness of news sources significantly differently (Mitchell). The content being consumed is not the same, and as a result, viewers of differing news channels view politics and current events through distinct lenses. These perspectives often in conflict with one another. As a result, the polarized perspectives lack common ground, are more prone to develop prejudices and adopt stereotypes of the other, and do not have an appropriate framework to approach beneficial political discourse. While not a source of news, one format of news commentary that millions of Americans consume regularly is the late-night comedy show. The current nature of the programming is more politically charged than ever and many sources claim that late-night comedy is a contributing factor to the politically polarized climate in the United States (Suttie, “When Humor Widens the Political Divide”). Late-night shows are just one factor to consider in the American political climate. However, by examining the shift in late-night comedy and the power of humor, we are better suited to create comedic content that, rather than contribute to polarization, encourages political discourse and does not dehumanize those who are different from us. Late-Night Comedy Shows Since late-night comedy is a large genre, it is important to clarify what this kind of show is in order to have a better understanding of how its content has shifted in recent history, how it draws in specific demographics, and what its potential impact is. A late-night comedy show is television programming, usually taking the form of a talk show or variety show, which uses humor to entertain. This includes Saturday Night Live, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and more. Talk shows and variety shows differ significantly. Many talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tend to have a singular host with content like monologues, desk segments, games, and guest interviews, whereas variety shows like Saturday Night Live tend to have rotating hosts, musical guests, and sketch comedy. However, I have decided to group them all under the label of late-night comedy show. Some shows, like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj and, while not shown daily on cable or network television, are still considered part of this genre, given their purpose and content. Still, most of these programs are located in the late-night block of television. Despite differences in content, structure, and frequency, the purpose of these programs is to entertain audiences through the use of comedy and interaction with current events. The content of these shows classifies them as a news commentary program. While they focus a great deal on the news, their content is entertaining commentary instead of reporting. These programs, while they differ significantly, are all able to reach a large viewership and they employ similar communication strategies. Historically, the genre of late-night talk and sketch has been politically active, but not distinctly partisan. The purpose of the late-night comedy show was primarily to entertain through developing humor about currents events and news. “The job of a late-night comedian was once so straightforward: Give Americans something to laugh about so they can forget about their workday worries. Presidents always made for comedic fodder, as did the daily headlines. But it was all in good fun. And it generally hovered on the edge of the partisan divide” (Rutenberg). Now, this does not dismiss the presence of politics in comedy. In fact, most late-night comedy shows would use political figures and events as source material, and politics played a crucial role in these news commentary shows. These shows are naturally inclined to address politics in some manner. Saturday Night Live was one of the first shows to employ political comedy in the 70s. This variety show has frequently featured political impersonations of presidents and large political events, in addition to their other comedic content. One of Saturday Night Live’s earlier sketches called “Debate ’76” aired in 1976 and portrayed a debate between President Gerald Ford and Governor Jimmy Carter (“Debate ’76”). This particular sketch used impersonations of both candidates to craft jokes. While Chase’s impersonation of Ford receives a few more laughs than Aykroyd’s Carter, the general tone of the humor remains consistent. By actively making fun of both participants, Saturday Night Live does not take a blatantly partisan stance and yet is still able to craft incisive political comedy through targeting some of their previous behaviors or statements. While this may have been the norm for late-night television for much of the genre’s existence, “this sense of impartiality has vanished from the modern late-night landscape” (Whitten). Throughout the past decade, late-night comedy shows have shifted focus. Particularly since the 2016 presidential election, President Trump and the Republican Party have come into focus as the target much more frequently. Bill Carter, an expert on late-night television, reports to the New York Times speaking about President Trump’s interaction with the industry. “‘There’s no example of any kind of sustained attack like this on a politician’”(Rutenberg). The partisan bias is evident to most viewers. Impressions of Donald Trump are now a staple of late-night comedy shows, from Stephen Colbert’s to Alec Baldwin’s. Trump, and by extension the Republican Party, has become a constantly present topic, hovering on the periphery even when not the focus of humor. Conservative politics appears to be on the receiving end of most jokes and rarely receives any sympathy from comedic writers. Late-night comedy shows still poke fun at liberal politics, but the tone tends to be more favorable.