An Oldie but a Goodie: A Response to "The 50 Funniest American Writers" by Andy Borowitz

An Oldie but a Goodie

            Humor constantly changes as society evolves. Many of the pieces that were deemed funny fifty years ago are now considered outdated because the humor behind the piece is lost. However, not all pieces suffer this fate. Mark Twain’s short piece “A Presidential Candidate” was written in 1876, but the work remains enjoyable and humorous because it satirizes many of the feelings society has towards politicians and politics today. The insanity found in this piece also remains especially relevant today because of the upcoming presidential elections in November.

            The president holds the highest position in the United States, and society expects any candidate to have a clean past and to not keep any secrets. However, there is a natural inclination to not trust politicians, so society tries to discover any and all of the politician’s secrets. Twain’s presidential candidate acknowledges this fact and decides to come clean before the election so “every attempt to spring things on him will be checkmated” (3). Through the candidate’s absurd logic, Twain reveals how presidential candidates constantly get attacked for their past since they are in the spotlight. These attacks on presidential are especially noticeable in the political ads on TV. The creators of these advertisements understand our tendency to distrust candidates; therefore, they expose how “evil” a candidate is even though they are oftentimes misleading.

            The real humor of the piece; however, is in the candidate’s dark past. The presidential candidate runs away from the Battle of Gettysburg because “although he wanted his country saved” he wanted “somebody else to save it” (4).  Through this sarcastic humor, Twain suggests that many politicians are cowards willing to sacrifice others before themselves. The criticism of the presidential candidate continues as he describes burying his aunt under a grapevine because it needed fertilizing, and when he suggests stuffing poor people into sausages to “improve our export trade” with cannibal countries (5). The absurdity of these statements reflects how the public perceives politicians as cold and heartless creatures. Even today, people today feel as though politicians are disinterested with those who they are representing, and their primary concern is with themselves.

            Sometimes humor loses its luster because they its no longer relevant. Mark Twain’s “A Presidential Candidate,” however, retains its humor since of the issues it satirizes are still prevalent in today’s society.  People enjoyed making fun of politicians then, and they still enjoy it today.