2/7/2019

Politicians are often the butt of our jokes, but have you ever considered the extent to which we are the butt of theirs? Humor goes both ways, but it often feels in short supply amid the hyperpolarization, loneliness, and resentment presently afflicting our polity. H.W. Brands of the University of Texas, Austin, spoke about the joke-telling chops of American presidents, the funny bone of the American people, and the serious role of humor in American democracy. The Hauenstein Center was proud to host Professor Brands in partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum.