Is Comedy Persuasive?

I've heard Ryan Hamilton do this little sketch before and I would agree that each time I watch it, it gets funnier. I feel for the guy, you know? Like, no one wants to be that. But I like his attitude on the whole thing. I like that he can make fun of himself. For that reason, and because he is so vulnerable, it makes the whole thing persuasive. He's utilizing his audience (pathos), and he has the credibility (ethos), and he makes logical arguments (logos) about the things he talks about (like how his face makes him seem really happy even when he's not). He does a really great job at connecting to the audience and pulling from the audience's emotions.

It honestly makes me feel a little bad for laughing at him. He really is funny, but there's got to be some truth to his jokes and he's got to have a whole lot of confidence to make fun of the things he probably was once very self conscious about. For that, I give him a whole lot of props. It takes a lot of courage to do what he does and so I'm pretty impressed that he's so willing to be open.

With a bit of dry humor and connect-ability, I would definitely conclude that he is able to persuade his audience to have a good time and to relax and enjoy a night of comedy.