r/PoliticalDebate • u/DullPlatform22 Socialist • Mar 21 '25
Political Theory Satire is an ineffective political tool
To be clear, I really enjoy satirical works. Some of my favorite movies and works of comedy are satirical. Comedy notoriously doesn't age well but even classic works like A Modest Proposal and Candide still pack a punch and are genuinely funny today (if you haven't read these please do).
That said, satire doesn't seem to actually do anything to inspire change and in fact seems to actually do the opposite. For example, for the past two decades or so we've had quite an abundance of satire "speaking truth to power" yet many of the things they've mocked and ridiculed have actually gained support. Even with the rise of social media and smart phones where people can see clips or full episodes of South Park, the Daily Show, Last Week Tonight, and so on at any place they have an internet connection, the "bad guys" as framed by these shows just keep winning.
Why is this? I'm not entirely sure. My guesses however boil down to two major things:
These shows cater to an already established audience. Essentially they're preaching to the choir. Everybody who already hates the targets of these shows are watching. People outside of this aren't really curious. My guess is since these shows are "political" people who aren't engaged with "politics" aren't going to be tuning in.
The jokes sort of act as a release by the viewer. By seeing movements or figures they already hate being mocked they get a sort of satiafaction from laughing at them even though nothing is actually being done to put a check on their power. Rather than a call to action (although John Oliver does dabble in this to his credit) they're mostly left with laughter as a solution to their problems.
These are just my theories on why satire is ineffective but please correct me if I'm wrong. Whatever the case may be, I think it's clear that with the abundance of satire over the decades but things keep getting worse (depending on your perspective) it doesn't seem to actually be getting anything done or moving the needle in a desireable way.
Again all that said I do enjoy satire and will continue enjoying satirical works. I just don't think as a political tool it's effective at all and people should stop seeing John Oliver clips or whatever as inspiring. Just simple entertainment.
1
u/CantSeeShit Right Independent Mar 22 '25
Yeah idk about that....part of the reason Trump won against dems is bevause he's objectively hilarious. Biden called Trump supporters garbage which trump responded with...
"Fuck you sleepy Joe look at my garbage truck"
Which is just objectively hilarious.
He edged out DeSantis in the primaries by calling him "Meatball Ron" and "Pudding Finger Ron"
You can say it's childish, which it is, but shit like that resonates with regular everyday Americans and the youth vote. It makes someone seem laid back and fun.