Satire is a literary form used to make fun of certain topics or ideas in the name of a good laugh, and at times for more. When used properly, satiristic Ideas can be seen as almost plausible, but never actually possible. But when used properly, (a smart, sharp piece of work underneath the hood, even if it may have a cartoonish look on the outside with some humor tossed in for good measure) it can be a very effective way for an author to get their point to the reader without having to actually state their point. It is becoming used a lot more in modern day situations than I thought. Ranging from specific cartoon shows to SNL and even some radio stations, the range of satirists in modern times is very broad. Often times the things they poke fun at are just for that- fun. But every once in a while there are the bigger issues that are brought in, and even though they may be controversial, some topics can be very enlightening as well when, viewed in a satirical spotlight. Just to give some examples of modern day satire users in television: The wacky cartoon show Family Guy and its creator Seth McFarlane, the popular TV show Saturday Night Live, the comedic The Colbert Report, the controversial and always hilarious South Park and its creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and the list goes on and on. But satire is not just showcased in television. There are examples of satire in music, movies, radio, and even video games! I was surprised when I found some of the video games I played were seen as satirical. Here are some examples of the above-mentioned kinds.
Blazing Saddles, the 1974 western movie that satirized racism, Hostel, the dark horror movie that satirizes the darkness of human nature, The Onion News Network, a magazine publication that pokes fun at contemporary themes, the artist “Weird Al” Yankovic whose musical parodies poked fun at the original artists as well as others, and then the video game entitled Fallout 3, which satirized war and post doomsday life.
Now all these examples are good and well, but what do they do? Well when something is satirized, there are a few things the satirists want to do. At certain times the satirists want to show how stupid an idea or concept is, and simply aim to do that. Such is so with the article we read from the onion news article about MagnaSoles. All the claims the inserts were making were obviously untrue, and the onion compared this with modern advertisements to show how dumb they are. That’s all. At other times the satirists try inform the viewer/ listener of a different situation. Such is the case with the TV show SNL. A few weeks ago an episode aired and the popular “Weekend Report with Seth Myers” came up. One of the topics was about the president in Libya. One of the actors came out dressed as the Libyan president and started cracking jokes about how he was killing his people and such. The jokes were funny, but I didn’t realize how bad the situation was. After watching I later looked up the rebellion in Libya to find that a lot is going in there. So intentionally or not, the satirists can often make people realize about local, national, or even global issues. Another situation of the same type, though this may sound corny is the video game Fallout 3. The game is set in the future, but the game world was destroyed in the 1950’s era, leading to many of the historical figures of that time being talked about in game. Things like bomb shelters and president Eisenhower were in the game, and we are just now learning about them in history. So once again, the satirists can educate the viewer on purpose through certain elements.
I believe the example we read in class was a good case in the next reason for satire. To propose new ideas. A Modest Proposal was a very believable piece at first. The way the author presented his idea was legit and logical and made it seem as if he actually had a modest proposal… That is until he actually revealed his idea to eat the babies of the poor population in order to decrease the number of poor children. When I stated the idea, it sounded absolutely absurd! But when the author proposed it he actually had a backing, the actual ways they would do it and such. This was actually a satire of their government, and how it could not control the population, but it was an easy way for him to propose a new idea. The magic of satire is that the humor can throw off and weird thoughts the reader gets whilst reading. I would have immediately stopped reading if the article had been dull and just proposed the ideas with no flare. Another thing we read was a letter written regarding beavers. The beavers had begun to build dams along a river in a mans back yard. These beavers did not bother the man, however the city did not enjoy their habitats. As a response to a city letter the man writes how the beavers have every right to be there and to build. By personifying the animals, he makes a good argument and honestly makes the city look wrong. This example was particularly good because of his use of the word “dam” in almost every dam sentence. The end result was a clever letter that showed us what satire really is. The end result of all satire however is humor. Though all may not bring new light to a situation, they all can make you laugh, whether it is out loud or a little mental chuckle. But those satirists who can make you laugh and inform you are special. The ones like SNL and the onion present ideas and issues and can make you learn while also laughing.
