The Impact of Satire on Society
George Orwell aptly expressed that, “Every joke is a tiny revolution," with regards to the influence of satire on society. Satire is generally defined as the “use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule,” to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. It is also synonymous with the phrase “mocking those in power”, allowing comics to emphasize the injustice present in society. Satirical shows and comics are essential to encouraging discourse about societal deficiencies.
Satire is an effective form of art to foster interest and awareness. The social satire program “Who is America” addressed the lack of racial and religious diversity in the town of Kingman, Arizona where eighty nine percent of the population is identified as white. In response to the public outcry generated by the social satire segment, city officials stated, “We're going to use this opportunity to keep moving our community forward with the help of many community stakeholders including the Kingman Interfaith Council.” (Horton). The strong response to a social satire program not only highlighted the need to embrace racial and religious diversity in a homogeneous locality but also galvanized an entire town to address the perception of racial inequality. In a similar manner, the late night comedian Stephen Colbert’s show has encouraged his viewers to, “go actively looking into the issues...Colbert's ability to stir activism.. has instigated campaigns from the silly..to the serious -- donating to Japanese tsunami relief -- that were embraced by his fans.” (“Satire is Shaping”). The sole purpose of satire is to draw attention to human deficiencies in a humorous manner. In analysis, comedians have the capacity to not only entertain millions of viewers but also to kindle interest and critical thinking regarding the political and social issues discussed on their shows. It is also important to consider the actions of alternative journalists Joshua Neuman and David Deutsch who “chose satire to expose what they called the “utter ridiculousness” of the various Jew-blaming canards concocted immediately after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington” (“Greenberg”), thus causing damage to the credibility of conspiracy theories that propagated hate towards Jews.
Satire can be utilized to effectively advocate for change. The Syrian Civil War has created a political climate that has encouraged, “the unleashing of a previously unthinkable black humour. “Top Goon: Diaries of a Little Dictator” is one of the several new online shows created by 10 young professional artists in Syria. Bashar Al Assad-nicknamed beeshu in the series” (“Laughing at Power”), in order to promote Syrian democracy. Satirical programs reveal the despotic nature of Bashar al Assad’s regime and offer a counter narrative to the Syrian government’s propaganda. In addition, the emergence of political satire in Russia as an effective form of protest against the Kremlin has reemphasized the power of political satire. The suppression of protests in Russia has led to dissidents “...plastering bus-stop shelters ..with sharply comical anti-government posters...images of them rapidly go viral on social media, spreading their messages far beyond...”(Bennetts). In an increasingly oppressive political climate, humor is the only alternative left to express discontent in Russia and challenge the Kremlin’s authority without facing immediate legal repercussions. The influence of satire in the United States was clearly demonstrated by the Occupy Wall Street protesters who “regularly used humor to mock corporate America. Who can forget….protesters dressed as rodeo clowns and a matador, tamed Wall Street's legendary bull statue?” (“Why Dictators Don’t”). Even in the United States where the Freedom of Speech is guaranteed, citizens utilize satire to add relevancy and generate interest making satire an essential tool to the protester.
Although the impact of satire is undisputed, others argue that satire undermines the credibility of societal institutions. A fake depiction of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in an interview with conservative commentator Alley Stuckey, “appeared to be taken seriously after it was shared on some conservative-leaning pages on Facebook, and was viewed about 1 million times.” More and more people are turning to satirical programs as their source of news which opens up the possibility of disseminating false information as satirists are not held accountable to the same standards as journalists. To this end, satirical programs are identified as satire for the benefit of the viewers. In consideration of this, once reporters identified Alexandra Ocasio’s interview as fake, the video was relabeled as satire. In fact, Facebook's moderators carefully monitor “false information to slow its spread and are also able to add a "satire" categorization in other instances” (Rosenberg). Another PEW report cautioned, “But late-night television's power to inform can be weak. People who say they regularly learn about the campaign from entertainment programs are among the least likely to correctly answer these questions.”(Ross). Satirical programs reiterate the concept that their shows are meant to highlight human events in a manner that engages viewers and not to provide news. In fact, "results suggest that satirical news can engage people who otherwise would avoid political news" (Routledge, 2015). Satire encourages political debate and civic participation as they foster interest in topical issues among their viewers.
Satire is a powerful tool and art with tremendous potential to harness the positive or negative aspects of society. Change can be both created or suppressed with the use of satire. It is thus evident that responsible satire is an effective conversational inclusion tool when other forms of discourse are difficult. Such inclusion is essential to maintaining a healthy society and democracy.
References
Bennetts, Marc. “Political Satire in Putin's Russia.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 10 May 2016, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-rise-and-risks-of-political-satire-in-putins-russia-a7022436.html.
Greenberg, Richard, et al. “9/11: Fighting Fire with Satire.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 26 Sept. 2017, www.jta.org/2006/08/31/lifestyle/911-fighting-fire-with-satire.
Horton, Alex. "Sacha Baron Cohen made an Arizona town seem racist. Now officials are promising change." Washington Post, 25 July 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A547652903/OVIC?u=dove10524&sid=OVIC&xid=d84f62d6. Accessed 9 Dec. 2018
“Laughing at Power: Satire in the Arab World.” NUS – Middle East Institute, NUS – Middle East Institute, mei.nus.edu.sg/think_in/laughing-at-power-satire-in-the-arab-world/.
“Satire Is Shaping the next Generation of American Citizens.” Penn State University, Penn State University, 28 July 2017, news.psu.edu/story/143606/2012/12/19/research/satire-shaping-next-generation-american-citizens.
Rosenberg, Eli. "After a fake interview of Ocasio-Cortez went viral, its maker said it was satire." Washington Post, 24 July 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A547589123/OVIC?u=dove10524&sid=OVIC&xid=8f4cc944. Accessed 11 Dec. 2018.