How Does Rob Sitch Use Satire In The Hollowman

Today for most Australian’s the potential of what a vote can represent is lost in political apathy and some could argue that this directly relates to how the leaders of the two main political parties continually compete for the populist vote. This environment is dominated by the media portrayal of our political parties and as a result of this, policies for the long term interests of the country have become secondary to short term wins (Marsh, 2010).

The show Black-ish displays political humor and satire by using concepts such as confrontation, and discursive integration. Throughout this paper, I will be explaining how Black-ish displays these concepts, as well as proving that this text can be considered politically humorous and satirical. I will be taking examples from the texts Entertaining the Citizen and the article Let Us Infotain You, as well as the show Black-ish itself to help clearly provide evidence that shows that show Black-ish contains satire.

The author compares the traditional political prank of “the Rhinoceros Party of Canada” to the present day of Calvert’s online hit. The comparison allows the reader to infer that the accessibility of the internet has allowed political satire to grow rapidly, as uploading a video online takes minimal effort in contrast to assembling an illegitimate political party. Despite their distinct techniques on representing their political ideologies, humor entitles the public to think about mainstream politics through their individual

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,

Satire has a long-standing tradition of inspiring change with humor, but what makes a great satirist? Ideally, every satirist would have the elements found in the Axis of Awesome and “A Modest Proposal”. These words would be accessible to their intended audience and those they are satirizing; both of these groups are important to consider separately as these two are not always the same thing. This element is necessary because the audience cannot recognize the satire or do anything about it if they do not understand the content that is being referenced. At the end of the day, all satire is referential because it must call something out to satirize in the first place.

Satire is a common literary device used among authors and poets to indirectly criticize the stupidity and vices of a specific person or group of people. Satirical works typically involve tools of satire, such as symbolic characters, symbolism, and irony, to simplify the understanding of who this “satirical target” is. In “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden and James Michie’s “Dooley Is a Traitor,” symbolic characters, symbolism, and irony are all used to indirectly criticize the target of each satirical work.

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

Humorists’ role in society is one of vital importance. Humorists provide entertainment that gives the people a desired relief of everyday life, while joking about today’s society. Satirical messages and cartoons are how the humorists’ can do this. Stand-up comedians, a satirical writers, satirical cartoonists, and other are some of the humorists titles which gives them society’s unspoken permission, to ridicule our society and the events that occur in it. In Alain de Botton’s novel, Status Anxiety, Botton argues that humorists not only entertain, but “to convey messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly” while entertaining.

Voting in many countries is held in different ways. In The United States of America, voting is voluntary while the Australian citizen has to vote, it is compulsory. When an Australian citizen does not vote they receive a fine. Compulsory voting has now become a large political issue for many countries. Great Britain has seen a dramatic decline in the number of people voting in the last 15 years (Singh, 2014) and compulsory voting has become a large political and social debate. However, as with any political change, there are strengths and weaknesses. The Australian system is an excellent one to analyse as the question has to be asked when introducing compulsory voting what are the long term democratic, economic and social issues? Four key points can be outlined to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian compulsory voting system. The first, compulsory voting provides a clear and accurate representation of an entire electorate. Additionally, this system may influence an increase in support for the leftist policy in a current democratic institution. Another key issue to consider is, does an active and informed citizen have a moral duty and obligation to vote to protect and further society? Key constitutional changes brought about by referendums can prove that compulsory voting is essential and needed in society for every vote to count. Lastly, compulsory voting when being a secret ballot can turn into a more compulsory “turn up” for many citizens as they can

then the government should not place unnecessary barriers on the voting. He also argues that any

Satire is a specific classification of writing that occasionally makes utilization of realistic and performing expressions with the aim of scorning society into self-change. With social criticism being its fundamental objective, it uses dark sarcasm as its primary device to get the point across. Satire impacts people to reconsider themselves so as to alter senseless thoughts and behaviors. Different techniques are utilized in delivering the satirical impact, those of which use wit as their primary weapon. These methodologies mix the acing of matching unimportant and authentic matters as one joke, demonstrating compliment yet meaning the contrary to show ambiguity, and asking rhetorical questions. Moreover, the creator may downplay an issue keeping in mind the end goal to move the group of audience towards the genuine significance of the theme, antagonistically; distortion is utilized to bring down the effect of an issue to its lesser quality. Aggregately, these procedures are practiced to draw out the human follies and vices in society. In Molière 's Tartuffe and Jonathan Swift 's article A Modest Proposal, both diagonally condemn and criticize human conduct and the discernment we have towards others. Through a comedian conveyance, these creators offer an understanding past the apparently self-evident, and expect to enhance this flawed custom of one sidedness as opposed to disposing of it.

A satire is a piece of work that is designed to ridicule or tease a group or organization, generally for the purpose of being humorous. “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a play by Oscar Wilde, is a satire, ridiculing class, gender, and marriage. This essay will describe some points from each of these sections, as well as give a brief synopsis of the play these examples come from.

Combs, James E., and Dan D. Nimmo. The Comedy of Democracy. The United States of America: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996. Google books.com. Web. 30 May 2014.

Satire was put into another medium wherein people see satire now as “eye catching” because of its visual representation rather than look for it in novels or critical essays. As satire has been used even in comic strips currently, it justifies Lebouf’s statement, “The genre shows no signs of stopping, or even slowing down (22). Quintero’s “Understanding Satire” analyzes the workings of the genre. He evaluates the interaction between the work and the reader needed in order to fully grasp the essence of satire, “satirists must ultimately rely on audiences to share a common ground of reason and, as far as literary satire is concerned, of belief” (5).

One recent case where the mass media poked fun at and satirized the government was the year 2000 election. In the time where ballots and votes became confused and the state of Florida became the punch-line to many a water cooler joke, shows such as the ones above took the story and ran with it. From the very beginning the satire of political figures played its role in the election. According to the Washington Post and the Pew Research Center, 47 percent of Americans under the age of 30 receive around 26% of their information about candidates, amongst other political matters, through late night comedy television. This trend has been labeled by many “Infotainment.” The viewers are receiving information about political issues and their government, but through a sarcastic or humorous filter that creates a different culture of informed citizens.