Definition Of Satire Humor

In Alain de Botton’s book, Status Anxiety, he claims that a humorist’s purpose is “not merely to entertain, but to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” Humorists have more leeway when discussing controversial topics, thus they serve a vital function in society; however, humorists also have other intentions such as entertaining their audiences and earning revenue.

Through skillful manipulation of language, irony and wit, satirical texts seek to highlight humanity’s various vices and shortcomings, and in so doing comment on prevailing social norms and attitudes. , Political satire, in particular, seeks to elicit social awareness of the vices and foibles of political institutions, and through commentary that ranges from mockery to condemnation, provides insight into the internal machinations and moral and ideological ambiguity of politics. Rob Sitch’s 2008 mockumentary The Hollowmenexposes the clandestine nature of Australian politics where decisions are made based on nepotism and personal gain rather than for the greater good,

In addition, humor expresses political destain in a way that is easier for people to absorb and generates discussion around the topic. In a way, political comedy is the most honest and effective way to deliver the truth. Comedy is able perform this social function, benefitting society. Article 2 “When the Truth Hurts, Tell a Joke: Why America Needs Its Comedians” by Roger Cohen, Ryan Richard Humanity in

The dictionary definition of satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices. Particularly, in the context of contemporary politics or other topical issues. If one were to examine contemporary culture today they would notice that it is becoming more and more satirized. One could argue this by turning on any program and listening for hidden messages alluding to some cause or political reference. Satire appears in many forms and may be used to shock the reader or targets into changing their behavior.

It is very important to be aware that the media is capable of controlling the flow of information that citizens receive. Furthermore, much of the content suppressed in this country is for fear of retribution from others. When governments and other institutions suppress information, citizens are not able to address matters concerning their country, as well as around the globe. In ‘The Decline of American Press Freedom’ by Anne Applebaum, Applebaum explains a recent controversy with Yale University and the publishing of a contentious comic in a scholarly report on the global consequences of political comics. The comics in question were satirical in nature and displayed the Islamic prophet Muhammad in an offensive manner. In an aniconic religion where visual depiction of the prophet is inherently blasphemous, the Islamic response to these comics were violent. When an analysis of the comics and the cultural backlash was written, instead of publishing it, Yale University swept it under the rug for fear of offending Islamic extremists. Applebaum argues that if “Yale University Press refuses to publish [the comics], then that makes it much harder for anybody else to treat the cartoon controversy as a legitimate matter for scholarly and political debate” (Applebaum 640). By not allowing the publishing of this analysis, Yale University is censoring what the American populace have access to in terms of global controversy. The issue becomes trivialized because institutions fear retribution from extremist groups. Without these scholarly points of reference of this issue and others, it is difficult to have a serious conversations about the ramifications of political and religious satire. This leads to people remaining uneducated and ignorant of these serious issues, and liable to repeat these same actions that so sorely offended an extremist

Modern society allows humorists to touch upon offensive topics without receiving much criticism. As Alain de Botton claimed in his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, humorists’ role is not merely to entertain but “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” De Botton’s argument proves legitimate. Many humorists, such as cartoonists and television hosts, decide to use their humor as a tool to prove an idea or express a belief that cannot be voiced candidly in public.

Satire can be a risk of misinterpretation as seen in The Weekly: Nation Security hosted by Charlie Pickering. “The Weekly with Charlie Pickering picks over the bones of the week’s news and shines

Satire is constantly evolving in order to maintain with the times. As technology, culture and humanity change and grow, satire is forced to grow with it. Satire of our modern time is more likely to be found on our phones than on print, more likely on a television than a telegram. By merging with pop culture, in forms of Family Guy and Comedy Central news shows, these forms of satire are able to stay relevant. But, despite the change in medium, the purpose of satire and effect of satire holds true. Modern satire, just as that of past satire, sheds light on the problems of our society through ridicule and mockery, without reinforcing and further cementing the stereotypes and prejudices they are trying to expose.

Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights that an American possesses. Satire should not be censored until it crosses the line into hate speech. Hate speech is aggressive and negative language directed towards a group of people due to something such as race, religion, or culture. Kuruvilla details recent issues with hate speech by writing, “recent prosecutions include a white supremacist convicted of sending a threatening anti-Semitic tweet to a lawmaker.” Hate speech, unfortunately, is not a rare occurrence. It is seen on social media, such as Twitter, and anti-Islamic hate in particular has become a recent issue. It is important to understand where satire ends and where hateful speech begins.

Humour and satire are two concepts that are both wide ranging and diverse, from dark, to light hearted, with each producing a different effect. Humour in the main, is something that is used to please the audience, its function is to invoke laughter amongst its audience. Satire is used to create a comical critical view of the subject at hand, this can range from a light hearted comical way, to a judgemental way, with each style giving the text a different meaning, however this does not mean that satire cannot be humorous, which can evident in the use of parody and irony within texts. Within literature both concepts play an important role to how the text is viewed, humour can include word play, grammatical jokes, to even inside jokes with the author and reader, and with satire, including that of irony and parody, with each style and type delivering humour in its own unique way. These differing styles of humour can be found in a variety of forms including Jasper Forde’s The Eyre Affair (2001), with its silly atmosphere, word play and grammar jokes, and the use of light hearted satire and parody to brighten up the text, and Julian Barnes A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters (1989), where there is a more serious atmosphere, with a more critical, satirical eye on history and characters, as well as using irony to achieve its comical effect, and the position of the world. Each text is humorous and satirical in its own right, and with each author using different techniques to

Today, comedy news shows are becoming progressively more popular, and in so, becoming a new source of information – which may, or may not, be a positive consequence. Most comedians twist the truth in order to connect to people and make them laugh. The article “A Serious Business: What Can Comedy Do?” suggests some comedians “use logic to make painful things make sense” (O’Hara 108). Satirical comedy acts as a relief mechanism in that it comforts people that may be wary about a certain subject, especially in the realm of politics. Similarly, Peter McGraw and Joel Warner discuss how comedy can act as a coping mechanism. The authors conclude that “activists all over the world have been using comedy as a form of political protest” (McGraw & Warner 147). Iain Ellis writes about how political satirists do more than just deliver jokes, they use satire “to expose, ridicule, and–implicitly–call for action and change” (Ellis 152). Ellis contends that comedy can make a difference by its constant presence in our daily lives. Socrates, Plato, and even shows like South Park believe that humor is a way to persuade others. One of the most effective expressions of humor to affect social change has been the inclusion of satire. Although humor often provides people a welcome escape from the burdens of their daily lives, the satirical comedy deconstructs social issues in various ways as a means to persuade the

If we apply the concept of communitarians; which place the wellbeing of the community before the interest of an individual, one can argue it would be valid to limit Charlie Hedbo’s cartoonist and writer’s freedom of expression (Swift, A .2014, p. 144) for the greater good; due to the fact that their act of expression compromised the security of the individuals in France because they were now the targets of Islamic violence. However, on the contrary it can be said that; if this form of expression were to have been restricted, this current debate on islamophobia would have remained in the private circle. No public discussion would have occurred.

Parody, a form of adaptation that allows the reader to re-examine the original text in a new light, is a complex literary concept since it has several different definitions. According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1951), ‘parody’ stems from the Greek ‘parōidia’. The term ‘parōidia’ is made up of two words: ‘para’, meaning “beside, beyond”; and ‘oide’ (ode), which means “song, poem”. This implies that parody could be a song sung beside another or against it. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary presents a significant definition of ‘para’ as a prefix: It denotes the sense of being “associated in a subsidiary or accessory capacity.” The word ‘subsidiary’, though, entails that parody is a secondary work. This has resulted

Parody is a much- practiced type of humor, which is employed in all kinds of media, among which music and film. I literature, this of humor was particularly admired in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though it has also gained popularity in recent times. But what is parody exactly many people have a general idea? Or what parody entails. Their definition of (literary) parody often comes down to the following: “[parody is] a literary (…) works in which the style of another or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule” (Merriam-Webster, “parody”, 09, 20, 2011). When studying this genre in depth, however, this description turns out to be incomplete. For instance, parody does not need to be directed against the style of a

“Abuse of Freedom of Expression, Advocacy of Racial Discrimination and Religious Intolerance”. In September, the French magazine Charlie Hebdo issued publications with caricatures of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. After selling out of all the normal issues, the publisher decided to issue 70,000 additional copies to correspond with the mosque prayer held on Fridays. Additionally, a large number of raids were conducted resulting from concerns that protests would be held from the release of the film Innocence of Muslims. At the conclusion of the raids, some 50 people were detained, a large number of the detained included women wearing traditional Muslim veils (Makei, 2010).