Presentation Response: Jack Knox

On March the 27th, Jack Knox, token comedian columnist for Victoria’s Time Colonist came to class to speak. First, he clarified that he’s been writing for papers for fifteen years. He explained that as a columnist, unlike a reporter, he gets to “inject himself” into his own stories, being able to express his own individuality as a writer. He has “the best job in the joint” which allows him to “infuse what he writes with emotion and opinion and analysis.” What’s more appealing about his position is that he gets to speak with a variety of folks of interest including celebrities, murderers, pornstars, and even the former president. His favourite tactic when it comes to writing columns is utilizing his great sense of humour. An interesting point he had to make though is that “not all humour is created equal.” Jack began “using humour to make a point” shortly after he got the position as a columnist. It all started though with an article about his wife selling hats at the local craft fair, closer to the beginning of his career. He favours the use of satire because of its ability to “transform a finger wagging lecture into something more entertaining.” He then covered some history and notable figures within the scene of Canadian satire and journalism. The next thing Jack talked about was the four types of humour according to psychologists. The first was self defeating humour, which is basically being the fall guy with the intention of amusing others. The next was self affirming humour, which is the opposite, making light of one’s own foibles. The third was affiliative humour, pretty much finding laughs in what we all have in common, also the most popular type of humour. The last was aggressive humour, which “has a target”. He also said it was a “double edged sword” because it’s the most effective but also the most dangerous. He further explained the fourth type saying it’s a double edged sword because not only does it include satire and sarcasm, it also includes racism and sexism as well. To simplify this he said basically, “it’s a psychological loaded gun and you have to be careful where you aim it.” Jack then listed off some other subtypes of humour including observational humour, dark humour, and irony, cracking knee-slapping zingers the whole way. The next thing he covered was his list of “gooder” rules: have fun, who cares, mix it up, have a target, metaphors, similes, hyperboles, be absurd, compare things, use wordplay, and do it with a straight face and a fictitious voice. He reflected on some of his funniest work and continued to share some great jokes. He then went on about some more history, occupational anecdotes, cautionaries, and rules including using vulgarity sparingly. Overall, the presentation was a wholesome insight on what the future of a journalistic career could look like. For me it was personally encouraging because it was a good defence for individuality and artist expression in journalism.