The Power of Ridicule: Modern Satire

The Power of Ridicule:Modern Satire

Why Satire?

Satire is a powerful art form which has the ability to point out the deficiencies in certain human behaviors and the social issues which result from them in such a way that they become absurd, even hilarious, which is therefore entertaining and reaches a wide audience.

Satire also has the ability to protect its creator from culpability for criticism, because it is implied rather than overtly stated; in this way, it becomes a powerful tool for dissenters in difficult or oppressive political and social periods.

Satire Today

Satire is more alive today than ever before, finding outlets in literature, television, the internet, comics and cartoons.

Some modern examples of satire include the comic strip Doonesbury, the cartoon South Park, and the television show Saturday Night Live.

The Colbert Report

One of the best and most popular examples of modern political satire comes from Stephen Colbert, who plays a conservative news anchor on The Colbert Report.

Element of Parody

Colberts television show on Comedy Central parodies The O'Reilly Factor, a talk show program featuring conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly.

Comparison to A Modest Proposal

The appearance of seriousness can be an effective tool of satire.

This is perhaps most obvious in Swift's A Modest Proposal, which never gives any overt indication of irony, but nevertheless the entire work is ironic.

This style can also be seen in The Colbert Report. Colbert is never seen out of character in the media, even when he is not on his show, but despite this, it is clear that he does not truly believe the things he says.

Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Security

In September 2010, Colbert was invited by House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security chairwoman Zoe Lofgren to speak before the committee about what he learned after participating in the United Farm Workers Take Our Jobs program, which allows a person to spend a day working alongside migrant workers in their same working conditions in an effort to shine a light on the lives of these undocumented farm laborers.

The Illegal Immigration Debate

Opponents of illegal immigration say that aliens who break the law by crossing the US border without proper documentation or by overstaying their visas should be deported and not rewarded with a path to citizenship and access to social services. They argue that illegal aliens are criminals and social and economic burdens to law-abiding, tax-paying Americans.

Some people say that illegal immigration benefits the US economy through additional tax revenue, expansion of the low-cost labor pool, and increased money in circulation. They contend that immigrants bring good values, have motivations consistent with the American dream, perform jobs that Americans wont take, and that opposition to immigration stems from racism.

C-SPAN Video