Satire Presentation Reflection

The presentations in class were very advantageous to me in the attempt to understand he complexities of satire. I really enjoyed watching and laughing along with my class. I thought many of the examples were great, and watching them under the context of satire allowed me to analyze things through a different lens. For example, I had never thought of the "Undecided Voters" clip from "Family Guy" was satire, but now in the right context I see there are many examples in my daily life that are satire. Overall, the presentations were extremely beneficial to me not only in class, but out in the world as well.

I thought one of the best satire examples was, as previously mentioned, the "Undecided Voters"  clip. This was extremely funny and also was a great example of satire. It was a more obvious version of it, but it was still effective in getting its point across. I also liked John Oliver's three part series about gun control in the U.S. and Australia. It was funny because John Oliver is completely comfortable with insulting others and acting like an idiot.

In-Class Satire Essay

In human society, there are many errors, both with the individual, and with the larger institutions created by the minds of  humans. This, though, is apart of humans at the very core, and should be understandable and excused for most grievances. The real problem arises in society when certain people hide from this truth, or ignore it completely. For example, a corrupt politician working for his own benefit and not his/her constituents. This is why the satirist emerges, filling the niche to notify society when these affronts occur. The satirist writes in very specific ways; the problem is not directly spoken of, but instead hinted at in an attempt to reach the readers on a deeper level. This writing style, though, does not reach everyone, and in fact may reach a very few people, rendering satire ineffective. Because of this writing style, satire is ultimately a futile method in changing the folly in human society, because of the engrained nature of flawed systems in society, its bluntness, and  its insulting nature.

First, the theory that engrained societal institutions can't be altered is revealed in a satirical video entitled, "First World Problems." In this video, many American people are complaining about very insignificant and trivial problems. For example, one young person says, "The AC is set to 72, but I need it at 73" (First World Problems). The reaction of society to this, unfortunately, is most likely a laugh and then it is ignored henceforth. This is because Americans' way of life is too engrained into every citizen, and the satirical purpose of fixing society is a lost cause before it is even written or spoken. Americans can't be expected to change their lifestyles very drastically because of this video, especially when life in a First World country is so privileged and lazy. Another person in this video says, "I'm so hungry, but all we have is leftovers" (First World Problems). Many people in the world go without food for days, because they are very poor. Americans waste large amounts of foods, and have been doing so for many decades. This, as it is so natural to Americans, will not be changed by satire alone, and will most likely continue into the foreseeable future. Satire cannot take on problems too big to be fixed, because it will lose the battle and end up fruitless.

Another reason satire comes up short in its eventual goal to change society is because of its bluntness. This comes up in Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, as his topic is very barbaric in the literal sense.

Swift says,"...a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food..." (Swift 3). This statement alone deters many readers, as no one in their right mind would consider eating human babies. Back in Swift's time, and still today, this bluntness blinds the readers to the point where they are unable to see the deeper meaning of the text as a whole. There were many criticisms of Swift following this publication, and regrettably is the proof of his failure to expose society's folly to the public. He and his work were dismissed by many without a second glance. Another statement of Swift's on this subject is: "... twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof  only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine..."(Swift 4). In this sentence, Swift compares children to cattle and swine, a notion most humans would not care for whatsoever. This, again, puts a shield on Swift's message to society and blocks the readers from heeding his words. A satirist must always take into account the target group of readers, and in this case, Swift overlooked this possible outcome and thus failed to change society.

Finally, satire, no matter who is authoring a piece, will seem very insulting at some point or another. When authors go too far in this sense, satire becomes ineffective. As with John Oliver's investigation on gun control reform, he blatantly insults his guests about policies he seemingly knows nothing about. For example, he says, "...Gun control will never work" (Daily Show) This is very insulting to the people who have worked hard and risked themselves because Oliver is basically saying what they've done is useless. Many viewers in this instance will scoff and decide right away to ignore what Oliver says because he is just being mean and ignorant, when in fact, he is feigning this to give out his message. At another time, Oliver says in response to the statement that 'people are the problem,' "Do you know what? After spending this amount of time with you, Philip, I'm starting to believe that that's partially true."  (Daily Show) This an obvious insult to the person being interviewed, strongly implying he is a problem and stupid. This is unappealing to a lot of people, as Oliver is just being a mean and disrespectful person. So though this example does get through to some, the insults and disrespectfulness turn away many people who will never face the problem at the heart of the video.

In conclusion, satire is an ineffective tool in changing society because of intrinsic characteristics of the satirical writing style, including bluntness, insulting nature, and taking on large problems. This, though, may be considered the author's fault, as they need to write for their audience to change from apathy to empathy or sympathy. Satire can indeed be useful, and it has been effective, but it has usually  done so at a smaller level than society as a whole. But as it stands right now, with the common and preferred methods, including scathing humor and sarcasm, satire is not a productive and efficacious tool in use for the changing of society's flaws and folly.

Satire Video Example

In my video, the literal side explains a new security system for public safety from terrorists. It is very effective and efficient at eliminating any threat to national security. For example, if a person is taped eating a banana, the system will search for bananas related to terrorism. In this case, potassium has been used in bombs, so the agents eliminate the possible terrorist. Unfortunately, TrapWire isn't cheap, and costs $1.5 million to install in a given city. This is why TrapWire has set up a donation fund for people who want the system installed. Also, donors will receive rewards for their donations. Examples include a thank-you note, a CIA T-shirt, an appointment as mayor to any given town, and the ability to change the 'A' in CIA.

On the other side of this video, there is a more satirical aspect. It is using the satirical tool of parody to mock the government of the American people. The makers of this video want to primarily expose the stupidity of the government. They do this in part by making the agents in the clip seem very childish, and as if their programs are games to be made cool. The agents want "pre-cogs" like the fictional ones in the movie Minority Report. Another aspect of the government this video exposes is paranoia. The program TrapWire uses any distant and unrelated facts to link innocent people to terrorists, and then drastically and unreasonably kills them on the spot. Privacy is a big issue in the U.S. and this video takes it to the extreme.

Internet Search on Jonathan Swift

1. 
   
• He was born on November 30, 1667 in Dublin, Ireland
• He lived with and was supported by his uncle, because his father died 7 months prior to his birth, and his mother had no income and couldn't care for him.
• He received his Bachelor's Degree from Trinity College, and started to pursue a Master's. But the abandoned this after political unrest broke out in Ireland, and he moved to England to start anew.
• He wrote under many pseudonyms including Lemuel Gulliver and M.B. Drapier
• He died on October 19, 1745. He had been afflicted by both Alzheimer's and Meniere's disease.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

"Jonathan Swift." - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.

"Jonathan Swift Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.

"Jonathan Swift." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013

2. "There is an almost complete absence of sustained scholarship of Swift's A Modest Proposal."
-- George Wittkowsky

3. "Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own."
--Jonathan Swift
4.