Revoevolution in the Fascist Ideosis: The Comedy of Bill Hicks

Abstract

Arising from the inconsistencies generated by serious discourse, comedy contains the potential to expose the dominant social logic that imbues cultural forms with meanings and values that perpetuate certain methods of political, economic, and societal control. As communicated through the comedy of Bill Hicks, the dominant social logic in contemporary America represents an advanced form of cultural fascism as enabled by a capitalist economy. By reforming the meanings and values of cultural forms, Hicks provides an alternative social logic rooted in libertarian political philosophy for the purposes of individual and communal cognitive evolution. Utilizing poststructuralist theory and critical methods, this study analyzes the comedy and lifestyle of Bill Hicks in order to facilitate an understanding of the communication of power in American mass culture.