Outline

This is my outline for the final essay in the digitalization unit of the class Personal/Political. The essay will be called A History of Humor: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Essential question: What are some of the various forms that mindless entertainment and comedy have taken over the course of history, and how does this relate to digitalization today? What does this tell us about human society as a whole?

Thesis: Though digitalization makes instant gratification more accessible, humanity has always been prone to seeking out pure entertainment with no intellectual rewards when available.

Paragraph 1: high-brow humor (the good)
points (not necessarily in order):
-Beginning of Romeo and Juliet: puns
->Talk about wit, cite: http://www.tk421.net/quotes/
-Modern use:
icons
www.xkcd.com
->("maybe if this shirt is witty enough someone will finally love me")

Paragraph 2: slapstick (the bad)
Points (not necessarily in order):
-Recognition as one of the lowest forms of entertainment (find a quote!)
-Origins in ancient Greek and Roman comedy
[source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/548077/slapstick]
-Named after 1600s paddle-like weapon
-Modern use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMS0O3kknvk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AbQpzn6t4c

Paragraph 3: the weird and the wonderful (the ugly)
-freak shows: http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/history/shows/freaks.html
-modern relevance:
Cats! http://www.amazingcatcollection.com/