This paper explores an
approach to satire in stand-up comedy at the intersection of emotion and
ethics. It is suggested that morally charged emotional language is
particularly situated in stand-up due to the interactionally engaging
features of this genre. The argument consists in framing satire as a
practice and performance of moral accountability. The analysis explores
how the invocation and potential dramatization of moral accountability
and (intentional) agency dialectically enhance the emotional and moral
efficacy of satire, and why certain habitual practices constitute
fruitful targets for satire. Several cases are presented to examine how
satire gives rise to dialectic of moral accountability and emotion
through the use of specific stylistic and textual devices.