This video is an example of political satire. American political culture has a long history of political satire which has been used for various reasons. In the past political satire has been used to promote justice such as the political cartoons which mocked the political corruption of Tammany Hall in New York City in the 1800s. Other times it has been used to promote social justice and illuminate individuals who engaged in discriminatory behavior. In the case of Saturday Night Live it has been used as a type of political commentary which is relayed using humor and more easily accessible to youth and those who are not deeply invested in the political happenings of the nation.
In the years prior to the American Revolution the use of satire was a technique employed by supporters of rebellion against the British. Depictions of the King as gluttonous and out of touch were common. Political satire is of course protected under free speech but understanding the underlying motivations behind the satire is very important. For instance, some controversy occurred in 2016 when Jessie Waters pushed the boundaries of satire and may have overstepped into racist action with his parody of Chinese Americans. Understanding his motivations and goals, and perhaps political leanings, can lend an understanding to his actions. The same applies for satire emerging from any side of the political spectrum. So, the questions I will submit relate to understanding motivations behind satire which is produced for public consumption.
Political satire is so prevalent it is sometimes mistaken for fact or news. Therefore, ascertaining the underlying reasons behind the piece is exceptionally important. Even in cases where the motivation is known knowledge can be gained through the analysis of why the piece was produced.
Questions for the twelfth-grade class:
- What are some motivations which may inspire particular groups to produce satire?
- What examples can you think of where satire was used to promote a particular cause?
- Do you think that satire can sometimes digress into racist or discriminatory behavior?
- Why is it important to understand underlying motivations, political stances behind parody?
- Why is it that some segments of the population look to parody shows like SNL for their news?
I really liked this assignment because I enjoy looking at media sources and relating them to the political scene in America. I have always enjoyed examining effective campaigns such as President Obama’s vs. campaigns that were less effective such as Michael Dukakis. I also love satire and its impact on American politics.
This is a really great video! We have seen political satire from the begging with many wars, elections and any other political even in history. While they are funny, I love to look back at different political satire throughout history because it gives another insight to where our country was politically at the time.
I found your post compelling because I love satire and I find it extremely funny. I think that incorporating satire into political culture is really interesting. I also really found your explanation on satire to be interesting.
I actually really loved the idea of using political satire it was something that I never would have thought of when I was researching for this project. I liked how you were able to date it back to the beginning of America because I originally wouldn’t have realized it until you said it. Political satire is truly something that is very common in politics today, it is all over the media in videos, tv, articles, blogs, and images. I think that there are many people that find it inappropriate for political leaders to participate in using political satire but at the same time I also think there are people that think it works. The truth is that it is just normal in todays world whether people agree or not so I do agree with you that it does affect America’s political culture.
Hi Tim, this was a fun video to watch. I don’t really keep up with politics at all, but I understood a lot of this video and the reasons behind the satire. And you’re right, a video like this will catch the attention of the youth a lot more than a video on an actual speech or news headline would. Your questions for the class are spot on as well.
I liked the video you chose because it was very entertaining and kept my attention. I thought it was enhanced by your understanding and description of political satire. I liked that you touched on a time political satire had crossed the line and showed that it was important to not make the jokes at the expense of others. I would have liked more examples of times political satire overstepped the boundaries. I think you could have expanded on it as well by giving some examples of ways to identify the intent behind the satire.
Hi Tim, can you see this? –Dr. Meek
I enjoyed the video you used to help illustrate your teachings on how satire was used in political culture. The idea of political satire being a long history has never really been an idea that occurred to me. But I do recall how the French monarchy had lots of satire made of them leading up to the French revolution. Marie Antoinette, dubbed “Lady Deficit” was often a figure that was chastised in political satire flyers. I appreciated your questions about political satire as well. I think your question on whether satire can digress into racist behavior will be very helpful in understanding the intent of satire as well.