Donald Trump weaponizes humor through “dark play” to test boundaries – A new analysis of American political discourse suggests that humor has evolved into a strategic weapon used to attack opponents and solidify support bases.
Donald Trump weaponizes humor through “dark play” to test boundaries
33 Comments
It’s lying and shameless bullying by a psychopath whom we still aren’t sure is demented.
Don’t you dare and give it a cute nickname.
Crass takedowns and offensive remarks don’t really qualify as humour…but the analysis is correct
It’s right-wing humor. I seen a bunch of right-wingers, at least online so they may not be real, but just saying racially offensive things and then calling it dark humor. Been claiming that you just don’t get their dark humor.
Nah. His followers just believe its ‘dark humour’ what it is is a man that has used his narcissism to corrupt what most of is knew was a weak system of government that had the luxury of taking advantage of the quickest new world land resource grab, so was seen as the leader of the world and morals. But anyone with any sense Kew it was just waiting to be taken down.
It’s just a joke dude. And the joke is rooted in ideas. That I’m reinforcing.
It’s just a joke dude. It’s just one of the most powerful and persuasive forms of rhetoric my guy.
Oh god he thinks he’s funny? That’s embarrassing.
‘Humor’. Apparently the autor and I have very different interprerations of the concept of humor.
Anyone in any workplace knows this.
Schrodinger’s Asshole. That’s been a thing for a really long time
This man has never laughed in his life.
You’re giving the Orange child too much credit. He doesn’t think further than his next insult
He’s uses it to distract from the fact he does not know facts, names, history, law, responsibilities of his position or much beyond the environment he surrounded himself with.
It’s a bad faith manipulation of context collapse (social medias shift into cognitive habitat and the erosion of traditional boundaries between public and private speech) If there is too much pushback to what they say, it was a joke. If people accept their insane lies, then they have worked.
I’ve seen this for years as an strategy from putin’s administration. They have always have huge online presence, mocking whatever they dislike, presenting It as something ridiculous, trying to normalized that people do not approve certain idea, while in reality is the opinión of his administration.
Ironically, It ends Up as a hive mind of people thinking life can be only live correctly in one way, and they must correct anything that’s different because it’s “common sense”.
A much better description of Trump’s “humor:”
>The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt:
*Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.*
It’s Schrödinger’s joke: When Trump proposes an outrageous idea, it’s a serious idea if his followers seriously take it up, but if they don’t then it was just a joke and you should lighten up and not get so mad about jokes.
Malignant narcissists seem to love to test the waters with “jokes” like that.
Like taking over Greenland. Oh, it’s plausible enough that some people will treat it as a serious idea? Then Trump will treat it as a 100% serious idea. Invading Canada? It’s a bridge too far for even Trump’s supporters, so oh it was just a joke, stop getting so pressed about obvious jokes.
He needs to be removed.
MacBeth — now there’s a dark play
He is not joking. He has no sense of humor. He is testing boundaries, but not by telling jokes. If he receives no push back from his outrageous pushing of boundaries, he will proceed to do it and then push further. He has done this his entire life. He is also pushing the Overton Window on acceptable behavior and normalizing it. He wants the country to accept the idea of a third and fourth term, so he constantly talks about it to make people think it is normal. It is literally against the constitution to do it, but he will push and push until he is no longer among the living.
There is no humor from Trump, just dumb and dangerous ideas that are passed as jokes when people are rightly outraged, cf. 3rd term, cancelling mid terms.
Joking about killing people isn’t so funny
Donald Trump has literally never said something humorous. He’s just an asshole
he has strong traits of a psychopath.. maybe not the best quality when you need to lead millions of people of all sorts.
They use crass and offensive humor and act like we’re sensitive. Seeing them lose their minds in response to Charlie Kirk memes was golden. They were so mad and butthurt they were calling peoples employers to get them fired. Real loser behavior. Turns out they’re much more sensitive than they let up.
He’s got 3-7 months left. It’s science.
I can’t help but think this is wildly subjective, and used to dismiss a statement rather than be its intention. This whole thing reads like “JK BRO” is an intentional strategy as opposed to someone trying to walk back a statement because they were caught up in a moment and want to avoid the consequences of what they said.
I’m going to forcefem Brenden Carr in the interest of the trans agenda
:3
Are there studies about the tendency of people to project undefinable but subversive intellect and intent into statements and actions that are more readily explained by genuinely just being evil, mean or ignorant?
Trump does not have a sense of humor. What he is doing when he claims he’s “joking” is either straight up lying or just floating his next terrible plan.
DJT does. Not. Joke.
I think this article is giving him too much credit.
The US is the butt of the biggest practical joke in the history of the world.
Ugh, we KNOW he’s inhuman. This isn’t news!
You mean what nazi fascists do with unironic irony?
It also signals support when people don’t fight back against it, or at the very least your bullying is working if they move away and remain silent.
But apparently saying something is fascist for being fascist is the worst thing ever.