Political Satire

With social media at the people’s disposal, users are able to share their thoughts and to keep up to date with current events. Its no surprise to find issues trending on social media every now and then; this year’s election was no exception. Politics are without a doubt a greatly debated topic. Millions of post and articles taking sides flew all across social media; some were true while others were not. A supposed satire letter written by author C.S. Lewis became popular throughout social media during the campaigns. Letter is as followed:

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.

America is a culture that enjoys having some time away from the reality of political issues within society. Comedic entertainment has found ways to also inform its audience about important political statements that is used to “refer to any act or nonverbal form of communication that is intended to influence a decision to be made for or by a political party”( Wikipedia), or ideas through a comedic point of view. Comical news is what brings our attention with ease because listening to straight political debates can lead a person to not want to sit and become informed on latest political topics. The culture that society has developed into became accustomed to finding it better to have a laugh about serious news because through humor an audience

The piece of satire that I will talk about in this paper is the Democratic debate sketch from the Saturday Night Live episode that aired on October 17, 2015. The main message of this sketch was that the only Democratic Candidates that receive attention and matter are Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. This program was successful because they only asked the two of them questions and at the beginning they were called the “real candidates” (October).

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.

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.

This paper will focus on American and western humor which is a broad range filled with many types of jokes, humorous situations and satire. My basic argument will be that the average American will be more prone to engage in the morally problematic humor that Morreall describes. The basis of my argument is founded on several principles: most Americans are stupid, and finally most Americans are selfish. These statements are critical assessments based on observation and will need to be assumed as truth to understand the distinction I will later make between comedians and everyday Americans. While some may dispute the ‘stupid’ label and claim that it stems from an elitist academic ideology, I believe that there is overwhelming evidence of this

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.

Satire holds darker undercurrents because of its roundabout attacks regarding the matter. Satire can be utilized to express predominance over others and move equilibrium of force far from those being focused on. Satire, although considered a type of amusingness, does not include much fun and chuckling. Satire is outlined as an inconspicuous assault against others trying to disparagement and mischief. The utilization of cleverness to deride and censure certain individuals, especially in legislative issues to the detriment of another person gives the creator a considerable measure of

Obtained by the outcomes from corrective action, the genre of satire advocates for the preservation of moral principles, the need to reform, and the attempt to instigate change. Satire has become a powerful art form intended to improve humanity by pointing out the deficiencies in certain human behaviors and the corruptions of modern society. Satire also has the competence to protect its creator from accountability for criticism, because it is covertly implied rather than openly stated; thus, it becomes a powerful tool for people in repressive political and social periods. With its intentions to ridicule those vices, satire has progressively made its way into literature, television, the internet, comics and cartoons. Modern satire as portrayed in the cartoon South Park has transformed into a powerful satirical work, in which four young boys propose to expose the ugly truth, meanwhile the adults render to the senselessness of society. Alternatively, Swift effectively uses each experience in Gulliver’s Travels to satirize a vast of issues which were once significantly influential in the seventeenth and eighteenth century England, including government, human pride, religion, and philosophy. Modern society struggles to obtain the good of civilization which is constantly being threatened by man's immorality, causing satirist to unmask those vices for the society’s good. While knowledge is constantly ridiculed, satire is the hindrance of immoral issues, attempting to condemn the

Just like in the Greek age, today’s society uses comedy to make each other happy and feel better about what is happening. The use of theater may not directly occur, however the use social media, television, and internet to make light of the downfalls we have throughout our society. Throughout the year of 2016, there was a lot of controversy throughout the presidential election. It was a sore subject for many to talk about due to the extremely different beliefs. This society is built on the grounds of everyone

Attempts at comedy helps facilitate the growth of awareness on social affairs to the everyday person that may not have a particular interest in those fields. However, comedy is a subjective concept so what is humorous to one person may not be to another. That person may not understand the context of the comedy or may dislike it due the content of the comedy being a fringe topic for them. It may open the minds of others to the topic being mocked and result in an increased interest. Using comedy to increase interest in topics like politics, which many consider to be dull or too complex, can be beneficial to a society. A comedic take on mundane topics like politics will attract a youthful audience to a subject they would likely ignore.

Political cartoons dates back from the ancient Egypt (1360, B.C) Johnson (193) culture with human and animal caricatures painted on the walls. Magazines and newspapers have been printing this particular genre for over two hundred years-yet. No single study has eminently conducted the perceptions, psyche and mental capacity and decoded messages through genres (Diamond, 2002). Many scholars (DeSousa & Medhurst (1982), Edward, (1997); Ketzle&

“The human race has one really effective weapon. And that is laughter,” was said by Mark Twain. Kelly Mcevers, host of NPR, National Public Radio, states that, “President-elect Trump lets it be known when he'd like something and when he doesn't. And he does not like the way Alec Baldwin plays him on ‘Saturday Night Live.” Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump “Siri... How do I kill ISIS?” The morning after this skit Trump tweeted that he had watched parts of the show and found it totally one-sided and biased and said there was nothing funny at all, but he should get used to it. Making fun of politicians is a time-honored tradition (Blair). Political satire is a part of satire that intends to expose and criticize foolishness, corruption and hypocrisy in politics. Political satire, unlike protests, only wants to make a mockery of politics. Political satire has been around for ages, in the United States it has been around since the colonial days where the founding fathers used it to spread propaganda against the British. It is still very prominent in today’s society, especially with the inclusion of social media to the platforms of entertainment and information. Political satire outlets have risen in popularity considerably in recent years. In fact, Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and Stephen Colbert’s “The Colbert Report” were the two most-watched late night talk shows among 18- to 49-year-olds in the first quarter of 2013. “The Onion”, a

In his 1988 Supreme Court opinion in Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, the late Chief Justice Rehnquist argued, “the art of the cartoonist is often not reasoned or evenhanded, but slashing and one-sided...the political cartoon is a weapon of attack, of scorn and ridicule and satire...it is usually as welcome as a bee sting”. Despite these biting words, the Court ruled that political cartoons are essential tools in a democracy. Political cartoons are inherently controversial, as they seek to mock both the legal and governmental process. However, they are also inherently American, as they reflect the core tenets of the First Amendment, the right to free speech, and expression. In this paper, I will analyze a political cartoon, created by the artist Paul Conrad in 1972 for the Los Angeles Times. I will first provide a description of the cartoon, its relevance at the time, and the political salience that it still maintains today. Secondly, I will examine this cartoon through five intersecting lens: the efficacy of visual rhetoric/graphic discourse, materiality, technology/modernity, power, and institutional/male domination. Through these lenses, I will trace my object's physical and ideological genealogy, and examine its social, political, and historical significance in contemporary culture.