The main purpose of satire is to criticize a certain concept, ideology, person, group or event through humor. This often involves characters or plotlines matted with the idea in question and the usage of irony, sarcasm, parody, analogy, hyperbole and general exaggeration in order to showcase its faults and hold them up to ridicule, which we are meant not only to laugh about, but reflect and eventually, hopefully, to desire and participate in the improvement of the issue in question.
All of this is what makes satire such a popular and influential genre and, at the same time, so difficult to write. Satire must be both subtle and clear or else the message it seeks to send will get lost in translation. A satire that fails to make the reader think has failed and, at worst, reinforced the harmful belief it proposed to criticize, even if imperceptibly. Sure, it is the reader’s (or viewer’s) responsibility to apply even the slightest bit of critical thinking, but it is the satire’s responsibility to make, even the casual reader, recognize that there is a problem. In the case of, for example, movies, a part of everybody watches movies viscerally and there is nothing wrong with that. A satire no matter its medium has to watch over for the tone it uses to get its point across.
So creators neither can nor should hide behind the excuse of “You just didn’t get it.”
Things to consider when writing satire are:
1) The audience,
2) The limits, because indeed, there are limits to writing satire, and
If a satirical article catches the reader by surprise, they might not get the humor.
Thus, in plying your satirical wit, make sure you target it in a context where the reader is looking for humor.
He provides further tips:
Second, vicious does not work. ”Trenchant” is a key word to remember. Sharp, vigorously effective. Words like “delightfully vicious”” is more the goal.
Third, obscenity detracts from good satire. The best satire is very literate.
Fourth, the more subtle and authoritative your satire is, the more effective it is. British humor is very understated, and absolutely funny as a result. American’s tend to be over the top. Appearing to be serious while in fact the content is not, works very well. The best satire mimics authoritative presentation so that at a glance it might appear to be real.
The best satire works in tandem with the level of the reader’s understanding of the subject or topic of the satire. If people care enough about a subject, they will be current on it and knowledgeable about it. Assume your reader is intelligent.
Fifth, the trick is to make sure the made-up farcical element is clear. […]
Sixth, one path to good satire is taking an existing trend or direction of a story, and keep going as far over the edge as you dare. The ultimate truth (and justification for seeing something as outrageous) is to follow the logical trend way out there and see where it takes you. A lot of satirical humor has erupted from the current economic bailout efforts […]
Lastly, I will always advice that if you want to write something, you read and overall experience everything you can. Since we are talking about a style and a genre, you go and read and watch pieces that have successfully managed to be satirical. There are certain cues you can’t learn without being subjected to them.
This is a story about Mary, number one fan of the hottest cult vampire detective TV show, City By Night… until it becomes all too real. An accident with the Craft Services truck sends her hurtling into the world of the show, and Mary is thrilled – who wouldn’t want to live alongside their favorite TV characters?
Unfortunately, living in TV-land isn’t all that Mary thought it would be. Not only is Mary disillusioned with what she thought was a lush world until she had to try to maneuver in it, now she’s about to be murdered by one of the stupidest clichés in the history of television in a world that, pardon the pun, totally sucks.
Une semaine après avoir partagé son travail avec des élèves étudiant la culture populaire ghanéenne à l'Université Ashesi, l’illustrateur satyrique Bright Ackwerh a convie ses fans à une conversation dans la bibliothèque de l'Alliance Française Accra le mercredi 2 Mars 2016.
Selon Bright, l’événement était une sorte d’invitation a découvrir son atelier, afin que l’on puisse voir comment il travaille.
L'artiste a disséqué ses œuvres; épluchant les diverses couches, donnant des détails sur les des divers facteurs qui influencent leur creation, et les processus qu'elles subissent avant d'arriver à l'étape finale.
Être un créateur dont l'art se prête à l'utilitarisme, Bright a présenté des dessins qui critique principalement les productions culturelles ghanéennes et des phénomènes sociaux politiques.
La présentation a été suivie d’un grand nombres de questions et a fait naitre de nombreuses discussions, c’est ainsi que s’est clôturée la soiree.
According to Bright, the event was akin to him inviting the audience into his studio-for them to witness how he goes about doing his work. The artiste dissected his works; peeling off their layers, giving insightful details of the various factors that inform their making, and the processes they undergo before getting to the final stage.
Being a creator whose artistry lends itself to utilitarianism, Bright showcased pieces that largely probed and critiqued mainly Ghanaian cultural productions and sociopolitical phenomena.
There were a wide range of questions and bits of discussions after Bright’s presentation, after which an entertaining and stimulating night of conversation was brought to a close.
The thing I remember most about it was walking the entire length of the Prom that morning and not seeing a Druid. Normally when I made my stroll shortly before 9am I would see a few hanging around at Sospan’s ice-cream stall, preening themselves in their sharp Swansea suits and teardrop aviator shades. Or they would be sranding outside Dai the Custard Pie’s joke shop, waiting for him to open so they could buy some more of that soap that makes a person’s face go black. But on that day in June there wasn’t a bard in sight. It was as if nature had forgotten one of the ingredients of the day and was carrying on in the hope that no one would notice. Looking back, it’s hard for people who weren’t there to appreciate how strange it felt. In those days, everything in town was controlled by the Druids. Sure, the Bronzinis controlled the ice cream, the tailoring and the haircuts; and the Llewellyns controlled the crazy gold, the toffee apples and the bingo. But we all know who controlled the Bronzinis and the Llewellyns. And, of course, the police got to push a few poets around now and again; but that was just for show. Like those little fish that are allowed to swim around inside the shark’s jaw to clean his teeth.
Probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever made, but a genuine musing nonetheless: https://youtu.be/p4U1_7tm1Vo. Almost ALMOST made it in time for the end of Inktober.
After relinquishing his TARDIS keys, Peter Capaldi teased a return to Malcolm Tucker; the chalk to the Doctor’s cheese. Now creator Armando Iannucci has revived him for a debate with Alan Partridge in The Big Issue. You can see approval rippling through Britain, whose political climate is so bizarre we’re kind of living in a less plausible version of ‘The Thick of It’. We need Malcolm Tucker, a spin doctor so accomplished he could probably rebrand Brexit as a remedy for badger constipation. Be warned: this post is a celebration of Malcolm. Ergo, it will contain swearing. So read the fuck on or fuck the fuck off. [Read more on goodcharacters.blogspot.co.uk]
So I had this thing I did on Twitter that didn’t really get seen by anyone so I figured i might as well share it with y’all because I thought it was pretty funny and I don’t want to let all this writing go to waste…
When questioned, Disney’s lawyer had this to say: “Teh use of this word that has been copyrighted by our client as of 2 hours ago in order to sell amphetamines is ain obvious and willful use of our clients copyrighted material in order to make aye profit. Action must be taken.”
American Psycho |2000| Mary Harron RT: 67% A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies. Stars: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas
this thread is so worth checking out - it’s actually pretty frightening how perfectly he mimics the language and tone of right wing/conservatives or basically the entire White House right now.
When you perfect satire to the point were it could pass as the original
TONALEA, Navajo Nation- The Navajo Nation government issued a shelter-in-place last week and now the curfew has been issued for the nation. These actions were taken to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus within the four sacred mountains. Many people were pulled over by police and ordered to return home in accordance of the curfew.
Skinwalkers were also honoring the curfew despite their nightly activity. Many have stopped their nocturnal escapades to slow and lessen the spread of the coronavirus. Tlo’chi’iin spoke to a few about their decision to protect public health.
“Many people think we are monsters but we aren’t assholes” one said. “I go for a run to witch the person I need to but thats about it”. “I am not trying to spread a virus to others for no reason” he said confidently. “I only go after the few that I am paid to or ordered to witch”. “It is an asshole thing to do, potentially spreading a virus that can ruin a lot of people’s lives”.
“I think the curfew is good despite it financially hurting my wallet but its for the collective good”, he said.
He decided to stay in and catch up on his netflix shows. Others decided to honor the curfew for similar sentiments and some took a more pragmatic approach.
“A virus that has the potential to target the young and old and limit the population is bad for business” another said. “I need people to want me to witch and I need people for me to witch”. “Who am I going to witch if people are succumbing to something else”? “The economy is already in the shit hole and I need to eat”.
The curfew applied to all Navajo citizens and implicitly included skinwalkers. Police officers were planning to issue harsh discipline on any skinwalkers who would be running at night pass the curfew. The police chief said he issued an arrest with long jail time and steep fines for all witches caught at night.
“I don’t have time for such nonsense especially when we are dealing with this pandemic” he said sternly. “Witches do not need to add to this”.
Steel Buttons/ Coup de Bouton- Satire 5454 Steel Buttons, published by W Humphrey 29 April 1777 Making Fun Of The Rich and Over Dressed~
A man (left) and woman (right), dressed in the height of the fashion, meet one another, walking in a park indicated by two trees. Rays of light spread from the large buttons on the man’s coat and strike the face of the lady, who falls back dazzled, lifting her arms as if to ward off the blaze. The buttons appear to be of cut-steel or silver with incised lines and a beaded edge, He wears a sword and carries a tasselled cane under his left arm. His shoes have large Artois buckles. The lady wears the enormous pyramid of hair decorated with curls then fashionable, on its summit ribbons, feathers, etc., which appears to be a hat. She holds a fan and wears a nosegay. Her dress has the tight waist, and inflated draperies over a comparatively narrow petticoat supported by a ‘cork rump’, Reproduced, Paston, Pl. xxvi. 29 April 1777
7. The mere fact that you’re asking that tells me more about you than I even cared to know. It reminds me of that time when we were out driving that summer after college and you said, “Let’s go down to the river,” and then we did, and I pulled the car up almost flush with the railing, and you took the book I was reading and pretended to ask me a question about it and then flung it into the water. I thought it would stay at the top of the river, bobbing—it’s paper and cardboard, right, maybe even with some trapped air—but it sank like a stone, and you said, “only hope floats,” and you grinned that evil grin, the one you had that time you were engaged to Jerry and I caught you out with another guy (and by the way you’re welcome for going along with your story that you were a grad student visiting from St. Louis), and then you opened up your backpack and showed me that you had a gun in there and that you could imagine a circumstance where you might have to one day use it.
8. Yes.
9. No.
10. Ireland.
11. Certainly not.
12. I don’t think so, not if you define love the way a sane person would define it, but if you defined it that way then there would be an decent chance that you were sane, and I think we both know that train sailed a long time ago. Who names their car? And even then, who names their car “Pitch Blue” and insists that the color is enough to cool it even though it’s manifestly about a hundred degrees in there? Not to mention that when I played you the Prisoners record, you told me you thought it sounded like the Strokes, which is an embarrassing thing to say, and not one of those embarrassing things that’s admirable because it is an illustration of honesty, but one of those embarrassing things that’s just plain cringe-worthy.
