Abstract

The convergence of politics and comedy within political entertainment has created a new environment, dissemination of information, and formation of public opinion. In response to white nationalist rallies, comedian Tina Fey utilized her political comedy platform to satirically comment on the inaction of several privileged consumers. Community response to the satirical skit reflected the complexity of satire as rhetorical strategy, notably when present online and within popular culture discourse, and the cognitive demands that result in fallacious tendencies. The following examines the fallacies that arise in response to Fey’s satirical message and the implications for political entertainment media.

Keywords: Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey, fallacious rhetoric, political satire, social activism, political entertainment, political discourse, popular discourse

Author Bio

Marissa Lammon is a PhD student in Media Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. She spent her undergraduate degree in psychology studying adolescent development and has used this background as a foundation while researching media throughout her graduate program. She specializes in psychological concepts in animation, specifically how media presentations and messaging can shape child and adolescent cognition and socialization.

Suggested Citation

APA:

Lammon, M. (2022). Cake and conclusions: Rhetorical roots in “sheetcaking” and fallacious community responses. Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, 9(3). http://journaldialogue.org/issues/v9-issue-3/cake-and-conclusions-rhetorical-roots-in-sheetcaking-and-fallacious-community-responses/

MLA:

Lammon, Marissa. “Cake and Conclusions: Rhetorical Roots in “Sheetcaking” and Fallacious Community Responses.” Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy, vol. 9, no. 3, 2022. http://journaldialogue.org/issues/v9-issue-3/cake-and-conclusions-rhetorical-roots-in-sheetcaking-and-fallacious-community-responses/