{"id":2112633,"date":"2023-11-30T18:23:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T23:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/making-people-laugh-a-conversation-with-matt-rife\/"},"modified":"2023-11-30T18:28:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T23:28:16","slug":"making-people-laugh-a-conversation-with-matt-rife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/making-people-laugh-a-conversation-with-matt-rife\/","title":{"rendered":"Chatting with Matt Rife: The Art of Comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmaking-people-laugh-a-conversation-with-matt-rife%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2112633&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The following is a compilation of short excerpts\u2064 from Dr. Jordan \u2064Peterson\u2019s conversation with Matt Rife. In them, they delve into the fascinating world of comedy,\u200c discussing the power of laughter, the importance of timing, and\u200c the defense mechanism of \u2062deflection. They\u200d also touch on cancel culture and its insatiable \u2062desire for attention. If you want\u2064 to listen to or watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prayer-is-not-a-wish-but-a-practice-of-gratitude-to-stave-off-resentment\/\" title=\"Prayer is gratitude in action, not a mere wish to avoid resentment.\">full podcast episode<\/a> on DailyWire+, you can find the links here. <\/p>\n<h2>The\u200b Intention Of Making People Laugh<\/h2>\n<p><em>Time: 2:59<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One thing I&#8217;ve noticed is that when people are attacked by overly sensitive individuals, \u2063they often \u200dback down and apologize. It seems like a mob comes after them for some hypothetical sin, and then they apologize, only to be attacked by another mob for apologizing. \u2062By doing\u2063 so, they diminish their own\u200b character and embolden these foolish accusers. So,\u2063 when\u200d this controversy erupted \u200caround you,\u200c why did you\u200b choose\u2064 the strategy you did? Why weren&#8217;t you overwhelmed with guilt and apologetic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because it&#8217;s just comedy. I&#8217;m simply doing what\u200d makes\u2063 me laugh. It&#8217;s never deeper than that, and it shouldn&#8217;t be for anyone. I share my thoughts\u2063 and imagination with others \u2063in the hopes of making their lives\u2063 a little easier and happier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I&#8217;ve watched \u2062your specials, and I&#8217;ve noticed that you have a \u200dunique way of \u200cinteracting with the audience. Unlike many comedians who meticulously prepare and practice their sets, you rely on spontaneous wit. That&#8217;s a risky approach because \u200bit could easily fall flat. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oh, it&#8217;s high risk, high reward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exactly. And because\u2062 of that, you don&#8217;t have much time to think through \u2064what you&#8217;re going to say. If something strikes you \u200bas\u2064 funny, you have to go for it. If your mind is filled\u200c with thoughts of censorship, you&#8217;ll stop being \u200dfunny in no time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Matt:<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In comedy, you have to\u2063 let the intrusive thoughts win. If you&#8217;re naturally funny,\u2064 the\u200c first thing that comes to your mind is usually the\u200b funniest \u200bthing \u2063in a comedic situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan: \u2063 <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exactly. It has to be\u200d the first thing.\u200b Just like when taking a multiple-choice test, if you second-guess your initial intuition, you&#8217;re more likely to be \u200cwrong with the second guess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-truth-about-natural-toxins-in-fruits-vegetables\/\" title=\"The Truth About Natural Toxins in Fruits &#038; Vegetables\">makes complete sense<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That immediate response tends to be better. The comical intuition inside you, which guides your jokes, needs to be in sync with the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Timing is everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Absolutely.\u2063 You \u200bwant to deliver the most pointed remark at exactly\u200c the \u200cright moment. So, let me ask you, how widespread do\u2063 you think the\u2062 backlash against your comedy actually is?\u200d How many \u200bpeople do you think are behind it? And why has it become such a big deal?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It&#8217;s \u200dprobably just\u200d a few dozen thousand, which may\u2063 sound like a lot, but considering there are 8 billion people\u2062 in the world, it&#8217;s a small minority. And I&#8217;d\u2064 say 90% of those who are upset with me don&#8217;t even go to comedy shows or\u200d wouldn&#8217;t connect with\u200d me as a person anyway. Whether or not you enjoy what I do, \u2063you don&#8217;t even have to know it exists. If \u2063I&#8217;m your problem, if \u200dyou and I are face to face and you have an issue with my comedy, you can simply remove yourself from the situation. Turn around and explore the vast world behind you. You don&#8217;t have to think about me or talk about me. I don&#8217;t like screamo heavy metal music, but I never waste any time\u200b thinking or talking about it. Making people laugh is my general intention, and I see no harm in that.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Comedy\u2064 As A Sophisticated Defense<\/h2>\n<p><em>Time: 27:22<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How do you \u200cprevent yourself from obsessing over whether or \u2064not you&#8217;re being\u200d funny, especially when interacting with the audience?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It&#8217;s all about confidence, whether it&#8217;s genuine\u200d or fake. When I was younger,\u200c I developed a false sense \u200bof confidence. I was bullied in high school, not physically, but I was always an outsider. I was the class clown, the target of many jokes, \u200cbut I convinced\u2063 myself that it didn&#8217;t \u2062bother me. I learned to deflect. In those moments when someone\u2062 made \u200da \u2063joke at my expense, I had two options: either laugh along and join in, or be \u2063embarrassed and let everyone see it,\u200c which would only invite \u200bmore abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You&#8217;re absolutely right. Laughing along is a way to\u200d avoid further humiliation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exactly. So, growing up, I developed this false confidence where I thought, if I \u200dmake \u2064fun of myself and join in on the joke,\u200c it won&#8217;t hurt. People won&#8217;t see that it bothers me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/episode\/rife-for-cancellation-m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>WATCH: The Jordan B. \u2063Peterson Podcast<\/b><\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6T7pUEZfgdI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here\u200c to watch the podcast<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> Being funny is \u200bnot about being false. In fact, if you&#8217;re false, you&#8217;re not funny. And if you&#8217;re being bullied, being funny can \u2064actually help you. \u2064It seems like you were able to respond with wit and humor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> It was more of a \u2064defense mechanism for\u200c me. I had to deflect mean comments by saying \u200bsomething funny. It wasn&#8217;t about trying to make a good joke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> I would say that&#8217;s a very sophisticated defense mechanism.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Playing With Disaster \u2014 And Not Apologizing For It<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><em>Time 32:17<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> Comedy is all about intent. When people bully\u2063 you, \u2064their \u200bintention \u2062is to make you feel bad. But in standup comedy, the intention is\u200d to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/candace-owens-gives-behind-the-scenes-look-at-her-new-talk-show\/\" title=\"Candace Owens Gives Behind The Scenes Look At Her New Talk Show\">make people laugh<\/a>. Not\u2062 everyone will find it funny, and that&#8217;s okay. \u200bComedy is not for everyone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> Getting touchy about offensive jokes shows that you still \u2064have work to do. Shielding yourself from uncomfortable situations won&#8217;t help you recover. It&#8217;s better to voluntarily expose yourself to those situations and face your\u200b fears.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> Absolutely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> Comedy serves a psychological function. Comedians \u2063push boundaries and challenge\u2063 forbidden topics. Audiences participate because \u200cthey also have to deal with forbidden things. But getting offended\u200d and \u200dtrying to\u2063 cancel \u2064someone for pushing those boundaries is counterproductive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> I don&#8217;t understand why \u2062people can&#8217;t just let comedy be. It&#8217;s\u2064 a niche field, and if it&#8217;s not for you, you can simply leave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> Social media gives undue access to status to people who misuse accusations for attention. Apologizing is not the solution.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Helping By Making People Laugh<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><em>Time: 45:15<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> Comedy actually helps people. If they laugh, you \u200bknow you&#8217;re making a positive impact.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> Even if I only reach a few people, I consider it a success. My goal is to make people laugh.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> People who apologize for offending others must have doubts about their own intent. But if you&#8217;re confident in your\u200c intent, \u200dyou shouldn&#8217;t let criticism bring you down.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> I am confident in my intent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> Despite offending\u2062 some people, you have many more who\u2064 loved your jokes. Your belief \u2063in your own goodness in relation to comedy outweighs the opinions of those 12,000 offended individuals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> Exactly. For every \u2062person who was offended, there are many\u2062 more who found it \u2063funny, even those who have experienced \u200bdomestic violence.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Dealing with Difficult Situations in \u200ba Comedic Light<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> \u2062Right. Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> And I commend that bravery. I \u2064can only imagine \u2064what it takes to get through something like that. But if I can \u2064help in any way, even if \u2063it was on accident, I feel great about \u2063that.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><b>Keeping the Funny Jokes<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><em>Time 51:15<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jordan:<\/strong> How do \u200cyou determine which jokes you keep? What\u2062 kind of response are you looking for?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matt:<\/strong> The\u200b most amount of laughter is the best outcome.<\/p>\n<p>* * *<\/p>\n<p><i>To hear all of the rest of the discussion, continue by listening or watching this episode on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/watch\">DailyWire+<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jordanbpeterson.com\/\">Dr. Jordan\u200d B. Peterson<\/a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. \u200cFrom 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-was-a-chicago-restaurant-closed-after-the-owner-killed-and-cooked-a-person\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Was A Chicago Restaurant Closed After The Owner Killed And Cooked A Person?\">international bestselling author<\/a> of\u200b Maps\u2062 of Meaning, 12 Rules For Life, and Beyond Order. You can now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/podcasts\/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast\">listen to<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/watch\/jordan-peterson\">watch<\/a> \u2064 his popular lectures on DailyWire+.<\/i><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200d How does comedy \u200bfunction as a sophisticated defense \u2064mechanism, particularly in response to bullying<\/h2>\n<p><span>  That&#8217;s a noble goal. Laughter has immense power\u200d to heal, connect, and uplift individuals. It serves as a tool to navigate through the complexities of life \u200band find joy in the mundane. \u200dComedy \u200bhas the ability to transcend barriers,\u200b bringing\u200b people from\u2063 different\u2064 backgrounds together in shared moments of laughter.<\/p>\n<p>In the conversation with Dr. Jordan Peterson, comedian Matt \u2064Rife emphasizes the significance of comedy and its intention\u200c to make people laugh. He explains that comedy should not \u200dbe taken too seriously, as it is simply an expression of one&#8217;s thoughts and imagination with the goal of\u200b bringing happiness to others. Rife believes that comedy should never be deeper than that, keeping it light-hearted and \u200crelatable.<\/p>\n<p>The discussion also touches upon\u2064 the importance of timing and spontaneity \u2062in comedy. Rife shares that he relies on his immediate wit \u2062rather than meticulously preparing \u200cand practicing sets. This\u2064 approach comes with its risks, but it allows for \u2062genuine and\u200d authentic humor.\u2064 Overthinking or being hindered by the fear of censorship would hinder one&#8217;s comedic intuition and impede \u200cthe connection \u200cwith the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Rife \u200dsheds light on the backlash that comedians often face, \u2063particularly in today&#8217;s culture of\u200d canceling. He mentions that the negative response is relatively limited,\u200d with the majority of\u2062 those upset not being regular consumers of \u200dcomedy. Rife emphasizes that if someone\u2063 has an\u2064 issue with his comedy, they have the \u2064power to \u2063remove themselves from the situation, \u2063rather than engaging in cancel culture. He believes \u200bthat making people\u2062 laugh should be seen as harmless and not warranting such \u200cextreme responses.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation also delves into the notion of comedy as a sophisticated defense mechanism. \u2064Rife shares his experiences of being bullied and how he developed a false sense of confidence by joining in on the jokes about himself. This allowed him to deflect negative comments and maintain control over his emotions. Jordan Peterson acknowledges\u2063 comedy as a powerful\u2064 tool to respond to bullying, \u2064as humor shifts the power dynamics in a situation and\u200b helps \u2062cope with difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the conversation \u200dbetween Dr. Jordan Peterson \u2062and comedian Matt Rife sheds light on the fascinating\u200c world of comedy, emphasizing the power of laughter, the \u2062importance of \u200cspontaneity and timing, the\u200d defense mechanism of deflection, and the phenomenon of cancel culture. Through their discussion,\u200b they \u2062highlight \u2064the positive impact comedy can have on individuals and society\u200d as \u2062a whole. Comedy \u2064serves as a \u2063means\u200d of connection, healing, and personal\u2063 growth, \u2063and should\u200d be embraced and protected as an essential \u2064part\u200b of our\u2064 cultural fabric.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read the full conversation on Dr. Jordan Peterson&#8217;s podcast<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1006,"featured_media":2112634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2112633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1006"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2112633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2112634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2112633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2112633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2112633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}