Ep. 134 - P. J. O'Rourke: Thrown Under the Omnibus!

This week I've got something important to say to every message board across the internet: "Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help mom with the dishes." Sound familiar? That's PJ O'Rourke, world-renowned talking head and published author, whose political humor and commentary make him the butt of many an insult on message boards everywhere. He's on the show today to talk about politics and why humor is always the best policy, especially if you want to really make a difference. When it comes to being funny in politics, humor is your only option. "You really don't have a choice," PJ tells me. "To take it seriously is to indicate you're an idiot." And the same applies to the way you run your business, so be careful! If you take yourself too seriously, you're only going to end up missing out on the important, finer details. Because even in business you are still involved in politics one way or the other. Maybe you're the member of a committee, maybe you design your staff meetings as a form of democracy – either way, there is an election process, a conversation, and a show of hands that can represent your decision or point of view. And you need to be educated in your field if you ever hope to find the humor in it. Because finding the humor in your point of view means you are much more likely to start the right kind of conversations to get people on your side. Unlike politics though, comedy is hard. "I have more respect for comedians like Jay Leno and Chris Rock," PJ says, after I asked him if he respected them more than Joe Biden. And that's saying something. Humor gives you the power to generate conversations, and PJ's quirky sense of humor lends this week's show some hilarious viewpoints on these conversation starters: • The government's role in regulating capitalism and big businesses • The time and place for politics • How to find humor in high-stakes political situations • How comedy can change the way the world sees a situation, especially through the lens of the internet PJ's latest book, Thrown Under the Omnibus, comes out October 6  "Is that when it's coming out? No one told me!" says P.J. The book touches on these themes, but his conversation with me on the show today is full of the kind of jokes you want to be able to tell at your next networking event. So listen in and see how you can be the funny man (or woman) at your next business meeting. To find out more about PJ and hear more of his work, head over to his column at The Weekly Standard. Special Note: Both PJ and James will be presenting LIVE at next month's Stansberry Conference in Las Vegas. If you're interested in joining them and over 30 additional speakers for two full days click here. This year's Conference will take place at one of the newest and most luxurious destinations on Las Vegas Boulevard -- the Aria Resort and Casino. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn