Political Satire
Political satire is a form of literature that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize and mock political figures, institutions, and societal issues. It often aims to provoke thought and change by highlighting the absurdities and contradictions in politics and power dynamics. Through clever wordplay and comedic elements, political satire offers a critical commentary on the state of the world.
8 Key excerpts on "Political Satire"
eBook - ePubLaughing Matters
Humor and American Politics in the Media Age
- Jody Baumgartner, Jonathan S. Morris, Jody Baumgartner, Jonathan S. Morris(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...No longer was satire associated with magical power, but instead, it was looked upon as an aesthetic pursuit—a literary art form. Even with the introduction of the classical literary satire that has maintained the attention of literary scholars for centuries, “satire has never enjoyed a very high reputation with literary critics,” and “the satirist has skated on the thin edge of censorship and legal retribution.” 15 Today's satirists serve a decidedly different social role, but satire as a form of political speech is as potent as ever. At heart, the role of the satirist remains the same—to attack a society for its “evils.” How, then, does satire differ from other forms of political critique or political humor? To answer this question, one must first develop a definition of satire. This formulation has been notoriously difficult. Robert Elliott, among the most dedicated observers of satire, concluded in a 1962 essay that the “staggering diversity of forms, tones, and materials” precluded any single definition. This conclusion was seconded by Leonard Feinberg, in his 1968 article “Satire: The Inadequacy of Recent Definitions.” 16 Instead, Elliott recommended an approach that would use familiar shared traits among works already designated as satire to arrive at a rubric that would allow the classification of future work. Using Elliott's recommendation, George Test has arrived at a set of shared traits that best captures the “spirit and art” of modern satire, in all its various forms. He argues satire, whether literary or media-induced, rests on a substratum of ritual and folk behavior that continues to be present…. Restricting the study of satire to its literary manifestations has in effect cut off satire from its roots...
eBook - ePubSatire and Politics
The Interplay of Heritage and Practice
- Jessica Milner Davis(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Palgrave Macmillan(Publisher)
...Both set out to say—perhaps even to do—something serious about life. Satire’s name derives from a literary tradition of serio ludere (to play in earnest) that dates back to Lucian of Samosata (c. 120–180 ce). Its playfulness can range from sunny and light to a savage indignation (Jonathan Swift’s saeva indignatio) 13 that is so bleak that it barely functions as humour. 14 When the term “satire” is used loosely (as often today) to apply to anything funny or amusing, its defining moral aspect is undercut: it is essentially humour with a critical purpose. 15 Applied to politics, its purpose can be intentionally partisan, either in pursuit of a particular political agenda or to comment on politicians individually or collectively. Despite the views of some critics, its agenda may be of either the left or right, since hypocrisy (among its other targets) recognises no political boundaries. 16 Sometimes the topic may be the folly or confusion of the electorate or of the system as a whole, but more often it is the failings of those who claim to lead the nation and make decisions on its behalf, in the best interests of “the people”. Since classical times, cartoon drawing has been linked to Political Satire, exploiting the fact that one image is worth a thousand words. 17 While literature, drama and polemical writing have all played their parts in advancing satire, the encapsulation of a message into an image, whether performed or printed, gives satire an immediate bite. Cartoons are an exceptionally condensed form of imagery which means that they also benefit more readily than long texts or performances from mass distribution, enhancing the outreach of the satire. It could be said that they play a leading role in the creation of satire, whether purely as images, or employing words and action as well. From satirical paintings on ancient Greek vases to English eighteenth-century broadsheet cartoons like the one in Fig. 2.1 (see Chap...
eBook - ePubSatire
Origins and Principles
- Matthew Hodgart(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...2 The topics of satire: politics The most pressing of the problems that face us when we close the book or leave the theatre are ultimately political ones; and so politics is the pre-eminent topic of satire. 'Public affairs vex no man' said Samuel Johnson, but he could not have been more wrong: to some degree public affairs vex every man, if he pays taxes, does military service or even objects to the way his neighbour is behaving. There is no escape from politics where more than a dozen people are living together. There is an essential connection between satire and politics in the widest sense: satire is not only the commonest form of political literature, but, insofar as it tries to influence public behaviour, it is the most political part of all literature. Both are felt to be rather discreditable: the word 'politician' has an unfavourable sense, and satirists keep apologising for their wicked tongues. But both are necessary, since all social and legal systems are in need of continuous reform, and politics is the only means of achieving reform; while only satire can release powerful enough acids to break down the attitudes of mind which hinder reform. Most of the great satirists have in fact been deeply interested in politics, and most have been against the established government of their countries. Those who have supported the government by writing satire against its critics, as Dryden did in Absalom and Achitophel, are usually attacking the alternative kind of government which they can conceive of the critics setting up: thus Dryden, who had lived through the Commonwealth, had a very clear idea of what Whig opposition could lead to, as well as a deep fear of civil war. The enemies of satire are tyranny and provincialism, which often go together. Tyrants dislike any form of criticism, because they never know where it will lead to; and in provincial life free criticism is felt to be subversive of good order and decency...
eBook - ePubThe Language of Persuasion in Politics
An Introduction
- Alan Partington, Charlotte Taylor(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...it is possible to satirise a Prime Minister or an opinion-maker (and celebrities seem to be fair game) but not the local newsagent. The latter can, of course, be ridiculed but this would not be classifiable as satire. Political ideas can also be satirised, depicted as a kind of sub-set of human folly. • It differs from simple criticism in making an indirect attack on its object. • Satire depends on the comparison of two worlds, one real and one invented. • It frequently uses humour as a vehicle for its criticism, though this can often be bitter and sardonic in form. • It frequently employs parody, that is, the imitation of a certain style of speaking or writing. Some TV shows use impersonations, a form of parody, of famous political personalities. • It frequently indulges in exaggeration, also known as hyperbole. • Some observers claim it has a ‘moral’ aspect, that it uses criticism in the attempt to bring about improvement, to change the world for the better. However, most modern satire is performed for entertainment (and, therefore, often for commercial gain) and rather than a moral effect it produces a ‘moral superiority’ effect, it encourages the audience to feel more virtuous and more intelligent than the object of the satire. Satirical writing works by constructing a fictional, often fantastic, world which, in important aspects, runs parallel to the real one. Or, rather, the satirist’s perception and projection of the real world. Satire is a challenging – and, therefore, rewarding – genre. The reader has to recognise the aspects of the real world being called into play through the prism of the invented, fictional one. It therefore requires that the reader be already well informed. But a further task is then demanded. From the nature of the events recounted in the fictional world, the reader must deduce not only who or what is being ‘held up to censure’, but also why...
...Satire exists throughout the media, and is by no means an exclusive effect of comedy, but it is the most directly political of comic forms and the one that has caused the majority of censorious government interventions. Satire aims to denounce folly and vice and to urge ethical and political reform through the subjection of ideas to humorous analysis. In the best instances, it takes its subject matter from the heart of political life or cultural anxiety, re-framing issues at an ironic distance that enables us to revisit fundamental questions that have been obscured by rhetoric, personal interests or Realpolitik. Michael Moore’s satirical documentary on US gun laws, Bowling for Columbine (2002), for example, had an enormous impact on audiences and provoked fierce criticism from conservative groups, with the result that Moore was both cheered and booed when the film received an Oscar. As for fictional works, Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film, Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, is an excellent example of how satire can ask a question that has been dismissed by the establishment as naive, but that nevertheless remains absolutely crucial to the future of humanity. Kubrick’s film is the story of an insanely paranoid American general who initiates a nuclear strike on Russia to prevent them from stealing his bodily fluids. Russia launches a counter-strike, and even though both governments try to recall their planes, one gets through and drops a hydrogen bomb on the Russian base at Laputa, named after the floating island in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the inhabitants of which exist ‘under continual disquietudes, never enjoying a moment’s peace of mind’, and whose ‘disturbances proceed from causes which very little affect the rest of mortals’ (Swift, 1985: 206). Dr...
eBook - ePubSatire
A Critical Reintroduction
- Dustin Griffin(Author)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- The University Press of Kentucky(Publisher)
...Like all works of literature or art, satire is inescapably a product of and therefore implicated in the social, political, and economic culture that produced it. Certain conditions in the culture make it possible for writers to publish satire, find readers, and be compensated for their efforts (by material or moral rewards). Those conditions include on the one hand a system of patronage, a class of educated readers with leisure and a taste for wit, and a system of circulation or distribution whereby manuscripts or books reach readers; and on the other, a tradition of moral inquiry based on widely respected classical authors. We mistake satire’s power if we see it simply as an attack from outside. Any critique so constructed within the walls of the dominant culture is, one could argue, easily absorbed or accommodated by that culture. 105 The “subversive” force of satire is “contained.” 106 This is not to say that satire has no political power. I would argue rather that claims about that power have been overstated or (perhaps better) misplaced. We need to value satire for what it is and does. Its effects can rarely be measured in terms of political change or even personal conduct. Except in mythical Ireland, satire does not cause the fall of princes or bring on revolutions. One doubts too that satire ever brought the wicked to repentance. Perhaps (as satirists like to think) it at least has the power to deter, or to intimidate. Thus Dryden could warn Tonson off with a sneering epigram. This is “political power” at the very local level...
eBook - ePubEntertainment Media and Politics
Advances in Effects-Based Research
- Robert Lance Holbert(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...England saw the forbiddance of the publication of satire in 1599. Even in the 21st century, state-sponsored censorship and hostility toward satire continues. The 2005 worldwide protests of countries whose newspapers published political cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad led to Iran threatening to start an international Holocaust cartoon competition (BBCNews.com, 2006). Indeed, Feinberg (1967) argued that the relevance of satirical texts lasts for ages because of universal values, problems, and issues that transcend any one society. Against the backdrop of popular late-night comedy shows and Political Satire in today’s society, political and strategic communication scholars have renewed interest in the potential socio-political influence of satire. Still, as scholars work to better understand the role of Political Satire in modern public opinion, theoretical approaches have remained somewhat fractured. Namely, key socio-psychological based message processing theories regarding satire’s role in shaping socio-political attitudes offer competing – even contradictory propositions of how humor is cognitively processed (e.g., Young, 2008; Baumgartner, 2007; Nabi, Moyer-Guśe, & Byrne, 2007; Baumgartner & Morris, 2008). Holbert, Hmielowski, Jain, Lather, and Morey (2011) provided a significant contribution to the political entertainment literature, introducing the concept of satire type as a key, moderating variable in humor effects research. In their study, Holbert and colleagues demonstrated that differing types of satire have significantly different influences on individuals...
- Geoffrey Baym, Jeffrey P. Jones, Geoffrey Baym, Jeffrey P. Jones(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...In Bertelsen’s opinion, this possible trend questions both the need for Political Satire as a specific entertainment genre as well as the creative scope of Political Satire in this new media environment. The diagnosis was made as part of his answer to my question of why Political Satire no longer dominated the long tradition of satirical sketch comedy in Danish public service television, as it did from 1968 until the late 1990s. Satirical sketch comedy still is an important part of the entertainment profile these broadcasters offer the audience, but Political Satire is struggling to survive. As this article will show, the way the Danish public service broadcasters use satirical sketch comedy has changed profoundly since the late 1990s under the influence of growing competition for specific audiences in the Danish media market. Political Satire is trying to reinvent itself under these new conditions both within the tradition of sketch comedy and outside in different kinds of experimental factual programming. Political Satire traditionally directed its sting at the behavior of politically and economically powerful individuals and institutions. Since the late 1990s, however, the ridicule has to a greater extent focused on critiquing “the media” as powerful institutions in societies. In order to meet the satirical intentions, combinations of what I call genre parody and genre pastiche of key factual genres of television programming have become a more prominent tool over the past decade. The distinction between genre parody and genre pastiche is not easy to make, according to Richard Dyer (2007). Both tools imitate another aesthetic style or a specific artifact. But pastiche imitates aesthetics and conventional narrative logic, without offering negative or positive evaluations (pp. 3–5)...
