{"product_id":"a-conspiracy-of-laughter-how-ivy-league-elites-got-to-dictate-what-s-funny-isbn-9780262058728","title":"A Conspiracy of Laughter: How Ivy League Elites Got to Dictate What's Funny","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow Ivy League elites captured American comedy—and how they unwittingly provoked a populist backlash.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFrom the critically acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThat Book Is Dangerous!\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Sarah Silverman stepped foot inside the writer’s room at \u003ci\u003eSaturday Night Live\u003c\/i\u003e, she didn’t expect it to look like the Harvard Yard. After twenty-five weeks there, she never had a single sketch aired. The college dropout reflects, “It had never occurred to me before that there was such a strong connection between elite schools and funniness.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnbeknownst to many, the elite schools—Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, and Cornell—have controlled American comedy since the late 1800s. From \u003ci\u003eSNL\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe Simpsons\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe Tonight Show\u003c\/i\u003e, a small handful of comedy writers have determined what is taboo and what is not, whom can be joked about and whom cannot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn\u003ci\u003e A Conspiracy of Laughter, \u003c\/i\u003eAdam Szetela tells the story of how our comedy institutions came to reflect the perspectives of America’s elites. But also, more unsettlingly, how this dominance provoked a populist backlash. From \u003ci\u003eThe Joe Rogan Experience\u003c\/i\u003e to Donald Trump, a new establishment has emerged.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on exclusive interviews with Ivy League alumni who have worked at \u003ci\u003eSNL\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Simpsons\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLate Night with David Letterman\u003c\/i\u003e, and other institutions, as well as comedians like Theo Von who have been denied entry into these institutions, \u003ci\u003eA Conspiracy of Laughter\u003c\/i\u003e is the untold story of what happens when elites capture American comedy—and what happens when they lose their grip.","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52158727815397,"sku":"NP9780262058728","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262058728.jpg?v=1787613074","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/a-conspiracy-of-laughter-how-ivy-league-elites-got-to-dictate-what-s-funny-isbn-9780262058728","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}