--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this political climate, people are so…" description: "\"In this political climate, people are so shut down to other ideas - I call it a hardening of the categories - that if you can get them to open up and l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/kate-clinton-16348_agree_in-this-political-climate-people-are-so_1181239.png" --- # In this political climate, people are so shut down to… ![“In this political climate, people are so shut down to other ideas - I call it a hardening of the categories - that if you can get them to open up and laugh, there is a possibility of improvement, and a possibility of change. I think humor sneaks up on people, and before you know it, you're…” quote by Kate Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/kate-clinton-16348_agree_in-this-political-climate-people-are-so_1181239.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/kate-clinton-16348_agree_in-this-political-climate-people-are-so_1181239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/kate-clinton-16348_agree_in-this-political-climate-people-are-so_1181239.png) > “In this political climate, people are so shut down to other ideas - I call it a hardening of the categories - that if you can get them to open up and laugh, there is a possibility of improvement, and a possibility of change. I think humor sneaks up on people, and before you know it, you're laughing at something you might not agree with.” [Kate Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor can break down rigid political views, making people more receptive to new ideas and change. **In simple terms:** Humor opens closed minds. Key Takeaway Use humor to ease tension and foster dialogue. Themes politics communication humor change openmindedness Mood thoughtful encouraging Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - debates - social media discussions - community meetings - educational workshops Key Concepts psychology of persuasion social dynamics cognitive flexibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you introduce humor without offending? - When does humor backfire? A Different Perspective Humor may be dismissed as trivial, limiting its impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It may be remarked in general, that the laugh of men of wit is for the most part but a feint, constrained kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-steele/it-may-be-remarked-in-general-that-the-laugh-of-men-of-wit-is-for-the/) [Richard Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-steele/) > [I want to sit with my legs wide open and laugh so loud that the whole damn restaurant turns and looks at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-cole/i-want-to-sit-with-my-legs-wide-open-and-laugh-so-loud-that-the-whole/) [Paula Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-cole/) > [But the rest are even scared to open up and laugh. You know, that's the first thing that got me about this place, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/but-the-rest-are-even-scared-to-open-up-and-laugh-you-know-that-s-the/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Changes are inseparable from democracy. To defend democracy is to defend the possibility of change; in turn, changes alone can strengthen democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/changes-are-inseparable-from-democracy-to-defend-democracy-is-to/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I'm interested in the limits of personality, in the possibility of change, and the saving power of art. Do powerful works of art raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/i-m-interested-in-the-limits-of-personality-in-the-possibility-of/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) > [Understanding is better than ignorance. Ignorance, unlike life, unlike narrative, is static. Understanding implies a forward motion, thus the possibility of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/understanding-is-better-than-ignorance-ignorance-unlike-life-unlike/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [Often, the worst way to become prisoner of a system is to have a dream that things may turn better, there is always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/often-the-worst-way-to-become-prisoner-of-a-system-is-to-have-a-dream/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [It was my honor to have done what I could do to help. I learned to never underestimate the possibility of change, that values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/it-was-my-honor-to-have-done-what-i-could-do-to-help-i-learned-to/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [It seems like everything is so polarized. 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I think humor in general appeals to all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/you-don-t-have-to-think-really-hard-to-get-the-joke-i-think-humor-in/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I sometimes think humor and satire are more effective techniques for expressing social statements than direct comment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hunter/i-sometimes-think-humor-and-satire-are-more-effective-techniques-for/) [Kristin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hunter/) > [I don't think that in humor and jokes, in whatever way they are done, there is any kind of disrespect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajpal-yadav/i-don-t-think-that-in-humor-and-jokes-in-whatever-way-they-are-done/) [Rajpal Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajpal-yadav/) > [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I think humor is the social use. You can put anything in it. I think - yes, I speak heavily in analogies - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-think-humor-is-the-social-use-you-can-put-anything-in-it-i-think/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) ## More by Kate Clinton > [There may or may not be a lesbian comedy boom, but there certainly is a lescom circuit. Gay Pride Month, formerly known as June,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-clinton/there-may-or-may-not-be-a-lesbian-comedy-boom-but-there-certainly-is/) [Kate Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-clinton/) > [When my brother-in-law, BIll Clinton, was elected, he had gay friends. 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