| E-mail in-boxes, radio waves and television channels are filling up with political satire and parody as the Bushites pursue their military ambitions at the expense of world opinion. Unable to influence the foregone decision of the U.S. government to crush Saddam Hussein, many of us have turned to the dark side of humour to release our frustrations.
The stinging words, the reworked songs, the videos and movie posters have all become a creative vent for people’s cynicism and dismay. This latest wave of satire is a big one, but it did not come out of the blue. Cutting wit is becoming a larger part of every level of political discussion and medium.
More people having political fun instead of earnest debates may be good news for doctors (although the research is inconclusive on whether the superior sniggers induced by satire have the same medicinal qualities as pratfall belly laughs), but it’s not improving the current state of political apathy or helping us make progress towards a better world. Should we be concerned that this dependence on humour for political expression is affecting the health of our democracy and government?
Dark political humour is not a modern invention. The oldest written joke ever discovered is an ancient Egyptian mother-in-law joke, but a cynical comment about the Pharaoh was surely a close second. Shakespeare’s darkest humour was reserved for politicians, and the political cartoon has been a feature of newspapers since the industry started.
What is notable today is the increasing role such cutting humour plays in our political conversations. Instead of earnest political debate or disciplined policy arguments, the majority of our useful civic knowledge comes not from the bland news and ideological rants of politicians and their respective media flunkies, but from satire or absurd parodies. Humour has changed from being an additional perspective to an important source of political education.
The problem is that satire and parody are parasites – they need striving leaders and governments to criticize and consume. Capable only of criticism, satire is unable to create political change, foster leadership or develop government policy. Certainly, criticism of the status quo is the first step in making progress, but what if we get no further?
Trying to determine satire’s role in causing political apathy is a civic which-came-first conundrum. The growth in satire may reinforce our political and civic apathy, but it is a symptom, not a cause. Two of the main causes of our civic apathy also encourage satire and parody: the current focus on personalities instead of policies in politics, and the distance between the leaders and the led created by the complexity and specialization of government.
This is an era of politics by personality – issues and policies come and go according to public whim. Politicians who tie their fate to an issue will eventually flounder on the public’s changing fancy. A politician whose personality resonates with the public will find enduring success that overcomes blunders and policy reversals because public attitudes towards personality traits are slower to change – if they change at all. As forms of humour that deal with human flaws, satire and parody thrive when personality becomes the focus of our attention.
This personality focus is, in part, a reaction to government being engulfed in a fog of policy – a cloud of rules, statistics and knowledge that obscures every area of government. The distance and arrogance that comes with specialized expertise have placed government on a we-know-what’s-good-for-you-better-than-you-do pedestal. Faced with such an attitude, we turn to satire and parody because they are so good at popping such balloons.
As long as our apathy prevents us from forcing politicians to focus on issues and governments to turn on the defogger, satire will persist and grow. Simply criticizing satire, however, is to fall into its subtle trap. Crawling out of the circle of satire and apathy will require a national resurgence in earnestness such as we have never seen before.
We can all do our part. Start voting for really boring people or people whose personalities repulse you. Stop laughing or trying to find humour in every situation. Lobby your government to establish mandatory, remedial civics classes taught by repentant satirists. Watch endless hours of Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons and Touched by an Angel.
Oh my, old habits are hard to break.
SUPER SATIRE
Some fine satire to keep you sane while you wait for someone to solve life’s problems:
· www.whitehouse.org – Subject to a cease and desist letter from U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney.
· http://globalbs.com/ – Canadian bred political and media satire.
· www.satiresearch.com — Google with a smirk. |
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