What's the deal with comedians?

Comedy is one of the best persuasive tools out there. When someone laughs, they are put at ease and become more receptive to the message being conveyed. Of course there are times when the audience feels made fun of and shuts down, becoming less able to be convinced. And not all comedy is meant to persuade. But comedians often set out trying to make a point, and they tend to be very effective at it.

Ryan Hamilton has a bit about being single, not being a party person, and living in New York. I can relate to this because I'm also single, not a party person, and living in Provo, which is basically the same as New York. I didn't need a lot of convincing that being single isn't that fun, but I still think he made a persuasive argument. I guess it was just funny, and maybe I'm the type of person to be convinced anything is true if I laugh at it. 

But in reality, comedy must be persuasive to be funny. A comedian points out inconsistencies in society, and he depends on the audience believing him to get laughs. I've listened to plenty of comedians who tried to make jokes that I just didn't believe, and I didn't think they were funny. In fact, they made me mad for wasting my time. I think if a comedian isn't good at persuasion then he can't be successful.