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Albany – In today's Academic Minute, Dr. Amber Day of Bryant University explains the rise of political satire and why it is becoming a normal feature of political discourse.
Dr. Amber Day is an assistant professor in the English and Cultural Studies Department at Bryant University. She holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and her research interests include: gender and identity, parody and satire, political performance and activism, and public sphere theory. Her latest book, Satire and Dissent: Interventions in Contemporary Political Debate, was released on February 15th.
Dr. Amber Day - Political Satire
There is a renaissance taking place in the realm of political satire. You can see it in the popularity of programs like The Daily Show, the fascination with filmmakers like Michael Moore, the spread of a politicized viral video, and the replication of ironic activist stunts. Political parody, irony, and satire have not only surged in popularity, they have become complexly intertwined with serious political dialogue.
Critics worry that irony signals a cynical distrust of politics and a lack of real engagement or sincerity. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, it is in the realm of the satiric that some of the most interesting, engaged political debate is taking place.
The pull toward the ironic is directly related to the manufactured quality of contemporary life. Much of public discourse is designed as spectacle, but rarely acknowledges itself as such. Politicians and corporate spokespeople are carefully scripted, while their talking points dominate the airwaves, largely uninvestigated or verified. We may be aware of the staged quality of the debate, but the news media rarely point it out.
As these conditions have escalated, so too has the desire to poke holes in the spectacle. It is no coincidence that satirists are trespassing deep into the traditional political world, and that they are developing huge fan communities eager to hear their opinions spoken publicly.
It is an overwhelmingly earnest form of irony that is on the rise. As technology has made it easier to deconstruct the mass media, amateurs and professionals are drawing on satire as a means of entering into public debate -- not to malign the political process, but more often to make earnest claims and to actually find solutions to problems.
Fans are rallying around these forms both to hear these critiques made and for the pleasure of communal affirmation. Rather than fostering cynicism, politicized satire is providing many with a sense of community and purpose often lacking from organized politics.