Conclusion of Political Satire: Why It Matters?

     Political satire matters because it offers a sense of self-reflection as a larger society. Since satire is never directed at a specific individual, but rather an institution, group, or collective body, there is some lenience to how much criticism one should absorb. Instead, it proves to be humorous or entertaining to the audience, even if we identify with the group or organization being satirized. Yet, it isn't what nitpicks or technicalities, screw-ups or catastrophes that defines us. It is how we are able to perceive satire and reflect with our own original wit and humor that defines us. True, there is a distinction between swaying someone politically and just politically belittling someone for the sake of comic relief, however it is our civic duty to exercise our right to conform with ideas and, at the same time, become trailblazers among others. A nation, without this free thinking of collective, non-biased information is just as inhibited as one that is under a totalitarian regime

Contemporary Political Satire: The Daily Show

   

     Describing itself as a fake news program, The Daily Show draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories, political figures, media organizations, and often aspects of the show itself. The show typically opens with a long monologue from Jon Stewart, relating to recent headlines and frequently features exchanges with one or more of several correspondents, who adopt absurd or humorously exaggerated takes on current events against Stewart's straight man persona. The final segment is devoted to a celebrity interview, with guests ranging from actors and musicians to nonfiction authors and political figures.

The Classical Root of Political Satire: Mark Twain

     The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written shortly after the Civil War, in which slavery was one of the key issues. While Mark Twain's father had slaves throughout his childhood, Twain did not believe that slavery was right in anyway. Through the character of Jim, and the major moral dilemma that followed Huck throughout the novel, Twain mocks slavery and makes a strong statement about the way people treated slaves. Miss Watson is revered as a good Christian woman, who had strong values, but she is a slave owner in the story. She owns a slave called Jim, who runs away upon hearing that Miss Watson might sell him to New Orleans.

Political Cartoons as Satire: Thomas Nast

Though Thomas Nast is credited with greatly influencing the American public during the Civil War, He is most remembered for his cartoon attack against political corruption in New York City. Nast created political cartoons in the 1870’s that exposed the corruption of Boss Tweed and New York’s corrupt Tammany Hall political machine.

One of the cartoons printed by Nast, showed Tweed and the Tammany Hall Ring pointing at each other in answer to the question, “who stole the people’s money?” After this cartoon appeared, Tweed supposedly made the statement, “Stop them damned pictures. I don’t care what the papers write about me. My constituents can’t read. But damn it, they can see pictures.”

Political Cartoons as Satire: Benjamin Franklin

First Political Cartoon In America

It was one of the founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who is credited with creating, and printing the first political cartoon in America. Franklin was attempting to rally support for his plan for an inter-colonial association, in order to deal with the Iraquois Indians at the Albany Congress of 1754.

Franklin’s cartoon depicts a snake, cut into pieces, with each piece representing one of the colonies. The cartoon was published in every newspaper in America, and had a major impact on the American conscience.

The words “Join, or Die” eluded to the Indian threat, but much of the effectiveness of this image was due to a commonly held belief at the time, that a dead snake could come back to life if the severed pieces were placed back together. Franklin’s cartoon effectively grabbed the American peoples minds, and implanted an idea that endured even though the Albany Congress turned out to be a failure.

The image of the snake became the symbol for colonial unification, and was transferred to the colonial battle flag “Don’t Tread on Me”, and became part of the American spirit.

Political Satire from TV News

Government Privacy and Security

     There are very few government checks on what America’s sweeping surveillance programs are capable of doing. John Oliver sits down with Edward Snowden to discuss the NSA, the balance between privacy and security, and dick-pics. In the course of the interview, John Oliver uses political satire (exaggeration, sarcasm, and profanity) to make the point clear that Americans certainly do care about the issue of privacy, but only when it selfishly pertains to them and their "dick-pics".

Political Satire in Social Media: Twitter

Frank Conniff Tweet: https://twitter.com/frankconniff/status/597798301518405632

Andy Borowitz Tweet: https://twitter.com/borowitzreport/status/279662179299520512

     Twitter has quite a way with influencing the norms of social networking in today's world. People who have a Twitter are involved in what is known as the "twitter-sphere" and contribute to flooding the Twitter newsfeed about anything imaginable, 24/7. Accounts are made with sometimes very specific agendas, in this case, both Frank Conniff and Andy Borowitz have accounts solely for the usage of political satire, with often hilarious tweets filled of the contradictory and witty remarks of the complexities in politics.

Political Satire in Social Media: Vine

Vine: http://brownglucose.tumblr.com/post/113756787414/can-yall-grow-up

(Vine Posted on March 16, 2015)

     Vines like these are posted on third-party social media sites: tumblr, twitter, and even Facebook for strictly humorous purposes, not as a way of instilling political agenda. However, the satire here could possibly covey how today's Executive branch is viewed as a joke, stalling legislation by vetoing bills and mismanaging the fiscal budget. It could also reference how President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have been running the White House for two consecutive terms together, an impressive feat. The satire in the latter would then be about how "runnin' through the 6 with my woes" is how Obama, unlike the iconic rapper Drake, has a much lower approval rating than when he first ran for President. Woe(s), in this context, are people close to Obama which at this point would only be his running mate, Joe Biden.

Political Satire Through the Arts: Paintings

Political satire can often be seen as the glorification of American ideals: expansionism and industrialization, justified by Manifest Destiny. 

Political Satire Through the Arts: Posters

There are many hilarious political posters out there, especially during election season. I am personally a big fan of political posters, among all others, because you really get to see the wit that is demonstrated in multiple dimensions: words and images. 

Political Satire Through the Arts: Music

The Lonely Island song: 

Mark Russell song: http://www.markrussell.net/index.php/songs

   
     The Lonely Island and Mark Russell are both excellent sources of music as a medium for political satire. Language, tone, cultural connotations, and recognizing your audience all become key components in this version of satire. In this Lonely Island song, the tribute to George Orwell's 1984 and mention of it being a "cautionary tale" reveal how blunt they are about satire, which only adds to the credibility in their message: people tend to take the American political conspiracies too seriously. While Mark Russell combines his piano-playing, songwriting, and harmonic vocals to skewer the Democrats, in this case, President Obama. He accomplishes this through explicit references from Obama's most recent press conferences, including a sarcastic tone of "I'm doing fine" and bashing the prolonged war with Iran by saying, "If you think I'm bluffing, ask Iran".

Political Satire Through the Arts: Poetry

Call Congressional

He has been our Lord and Saviour
So why from Him would we want to waiver?
Go on another path not proven or were sent
And not willing to pray or ever repent.

Often do things different then others do
And found ourselves being part of a few
People who simply will refuse to receive
Communion in Church or in God believe.

Either atheist or agnostic we appear to be
Is it God who from sin can set us free?
Can He understand ways we are thinking?
While into big hole world may be sinking.

Guns have been all hands taking their toll
Crimes are committed then things stole
We are such losers everyone can tell
Devil won't even let is come into hell.

Have you been in big battle like this before
Not allowed in heaven or hell anymore
And with ourselves being over obsessional
No wonder they call this being Congressional.

James Thomas Horn, Retired Veteran 

Citation: http://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/call_congressional_660783

     Basic jurisdictions of the government are being criticized for abuse of power by the government, members of Congress are satirized here for allowing this. Such topics include the separation of Church and State "Communion in Church or in God believe", with the discussion of whether atheists in a predominantly Christian nation are chastised for committing sin. Should citizens be alienated and held accountable, when in actuality, the belief is that "God [is] who can set us free"? Then the topic of gun control, taking lives of innocent citizens are outlined in the Bill of Rights--the author views this as a flaw in our society--contrary to conservative beliefs. He even ends by satirizing how the GOP are "obsessional", as they are too "buy-the-book" strict constructionists who makeup the majority of our "Congressional" during this time period. 

Political Satire in Television: South Park

Conspiracy Theories 

     For the most part, we have viewed political satire of the government, whether its process of campaigns, party bias, or other unconventional means, however what is a refreshing quality about South Park is its satire on us--U.S. citizens, celebrities, and the bandwagonners of society. Here, we see how conspiracy theorists are the target of this political satire, particularly the one of how ridiculous it would be that 9-11 was rigged under the George W. Bush administration. While this may present as a sensitive manner, it is important to remember the intentions are primarily humorous and to enlighten us who are guilty of conforming to societal paranoia; in the past delusion beliefs in political matters, such as the Red Scare, has ultimately led us to distrust ourselves and the government. 

Political Satire in Television: Family Guy

Undecided Voters 

     In this example of political satire, undecided voters are notorious for being completely biased and uninformed in the political sphere. Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, pokes fun at these individuals who tend to become "swing votes" during an election season. He relates to how irrelevant issues such as "no taxes" and "9-11" are used to distract the party platform from real issues pertaining to the campaign. 

Satire in Memes

Fox News has been widely infamous for promoting conservative ideologies over liberal one's. The satire is of the Fox Network employees, especially Fox News's cast and crew, along with anything associated with them. Some news anchors tend to be dismissive of liberal matters, such as climate change, instead claiming absurd things to discredit this issue. The ridiculous amount of ignorance almost becomes a joke to people, as we might as well have been watching Comedy Central.

 These two Mitt Romney memes reveal the contradiction in Romney's fiscal affairs: he is coy about disclosing numbers and investments, yet he has found ways to skirt tax laws, having an astonishing $30 billion in Bain Capital Funds. Not only that, but Senate "Minority" Leader Harry Reid accused Mitt Romney of not paying taxes for 10 years. There is also the additional controversy of Mitt Romney having millions in a Swiss Bank account, perhaps not paying tax returns or failure to disclose actual income to the IRS.

Ethical Satire in Politics: Video-games

Torture in GTA V, Grand Theft Auto Five

The satire is not lost at the very fact that the game's real life FBI is known as the FIB. Rockstar North, the British video-game developer, does an excellent job by making the player feel uncomfortable during this scene in GTA, instead of glamorizing torture in American government. It even highlights the fact that the victim is willing to talk, and you still take pleasure in torturing the victim. This soon becomes a controversial scene for players who are forced to beg the question: Are the U.S. government's policies on torture inhumane for its extreme measures? A commentary on water-boarding, military working dogs, and inducing hypothermia becomes evident throughout GTA. The discussion becomes even more imperative with recent tortures, eight detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading to death.

Literary Satire

Animal Farm is an allegorical and dystopian novella by George Orwell. This novel portrays satire of the wrongdoings of the Soviet Union (USSR) and how the rise of Stalin was one of corrupt, absolute power. In the novella, Orwell makes indirect attacks on the Russian Communism, or Stalinism. For instance, certain characters of the novella depict an aspect of a totalitarian regime, such as the pigs and dogs representing the ruling class; they are cruel and unproductive to society, leeching off of society's working class.

Political Satire Through the Advent of Music Video: An SNL Digital Short

 Government Shutdown (2013)

  SNL displayed a complete mockery of the GOP (Grand Old Party), or colloquially known as the Republican Party in the Congress, which was headed by Speaker of the House, John Boehner, who decided to shutdown the government for two reasons: neither the legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014, nor a continuing resolution for the interim authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 2014 was enacted in time. From the shutdown, approximately 800,000 federal employees were indefinitely furloughed, while another 1.3 million were required to report to work, without known payment dates. This video displays how childish the conservative representatives of government acts when they "don't get their way", a very childlike response to resolving adult problems.

Political Satire of Advertising

Clint Eastwood's Superbowl Chrysler Advertisement 

         During the 2012 Superbowl, many Americans, especially conservatives, believed Clint Eastwood's Chrysler's add was very politically geared towards Obama's reelection. Saturday Night Live (SNL)'s Bill Hader debunks this by satirically mocking what many Americans had initially thought.

 The term "half-time" was very controversial, as people believed that meant Obama's first four years are up, and that this advertisement might be about liberals positioning themselves for a second half.

However, these videos show us it doesn't matter who "runs the ball", rather it is satirical of America's anti-progressive attitudes at large, rivaling other foreign competitors, such as China and Mexico.  

Comical Satire

Obama's Political Campaign 

    The state of Florida, home of Disney World, was the swing vote in the 2008 presidential election. Some conservatives and anti-Obama's say that there was a vote scandal, where the popular voting polls allowed for Florida to vote again, and again. This could also be exaggerating the mass numbers of people, Hispanics in general, who would constantly vote for Obama. Finally, this political cartoon illustrates how Obama, during his first term, took a lot of vacations. Disney World is a popular vacation site for many Americans, so seeing Obama with Mickey Mouse is a fitting satirical cartoon.  

21st Century Political Satire in Film

  The Dictator, 2012 is a form of political satire because of the United State's negative reaction towards authorities, predominantly totalitarian regimes in the Middle East. This film exemplifies how the overreaction of Americans led to hostile treatment of people who identify from the Middle East. Yet, the film is also satirical of al-Qaeda and mocks how they are sheltered with wealth, and viciously works on nuclear weapons to attack Israel. The concept of a totalitarian regime is humored throughout the film, ultimately showing how a dictator is destructive to nationalism. 

A New Era of Political Satire: Saturday Night Live

Chevy Chase: Weekend Update 

     Before understanding 21st century's political satire, it is essential to provide one exemplary phenomenon from the media. As the first anchor of NBC's Saturday Night Live's (SNL's) weekend update segment, during 1975, Chevy Chase was an essential component in bringing about the advent of political satire on national television, which would continue well into the next millenium.  He has portrayed numerous political impressions during his time on SNL, including some of the more noteworthy ones: David Eisenhower, President Gerald Ford, and President Ronald Reagan. Although infamous for being the only cast member banned from the show (including hosting privileges), Chevy Chase has had many antics geared towards mocking the media. For example, during the first season of SNL, the pending death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco made for the United States network television newscasters, specifically NBC's main anchor John Chancellor, to repeatedly mention this phenomeon on slow news days. Hence, the phrase, "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" became a main headline for Chase to mock the ongoing mention of this Spanish dictator's deathwatch on NBC news.

Here is a url citation that will also provide supplemental information:
http://splitsider.com/2014/09/saturday-nights-children-chevy-chase-1975-1976/ 

Introduction and Thesis

    Concept: Main Point of Research 

     This blog will have a concentration of 21st century political satire in the media: film, television, novels, news, entertainment, etc. In addition, there will be an overview of the origins of American satire and its continuity over time, respectively. The purpose of this will be to highlight the effect satire has on politics since the dawn of this humorous advent. It will encompass wide-ranging subject materials from the political sphere (presidential elections, economic downturns, and infamous speeches). One thing to remember is that political satire is differentiated from political protest; it is not meant to influence the political process nor does it have a preconceived agenda/platform. The purest intentions of political satire, or any satire for that matter, is strictly entertainment. Also another thing to consider before reading this blog is that political satire is not a means of seeking out solutions to the dysfunctions in American politics. Again, political satire is a source of entertainment and comedy, which is meant to be enjoyed, not taken as a serious treatment to the problems at hand.

Initial Questions: What does political satire look like? How is it used in the media?

Here is a preview, a graphics interchange format (GIF), to demonstrate what political satire looks like: