Running head: PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

Project 1: Political Satire as a Genre

Kevin Zhou
Florida State University

PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

For quite a while, satire has played an important role in shaping literature and culture.
Merriam Webster defines satire as a way of using of using humor to show that someone or
something is foolish, weak, bad They expand on the definition by mentioning that the humor
typically highlights the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government society...
(Webster). The Encyclopdia Britannica traces the genre back to Roman times where poets,
Horace and Juvenal, set the conventions for the genre. For example, Horace mentions that one
who attacks the vice and folly out of a moral concern is not an effective satirist compared to
one that uses mild mockery and playful wit (Britannica). Horaces and Juvenals conventions
established how effective satire can be done, and thus ultimately led to the subgenre, Political
Satire.
Political Satire, a subgenre of satire, has become a significant part of the genre. Whenever
satire is generally used, the entity that the composition typically focuses on is a person,
government, or society. When looking at the three criteria, politics would usually be the first
word that comes to mind. Thus, whenever satire is used, most of the time it is about politics or
activities regarding the governance of a country or area. That is why Political Satire has been a
dominating subgenre within the genre.
Stephen Colbert a comedian who formally hosted The Colbert Report, a show known for
satirizing American Politics, says Tomorrow you're all going to wake up in a brave new world, a
world where the Constitution gets trampled by an army of terrorist clones, created in a stem-cell
research lab run by homosexual doctors who sterilize their instruments over burning American
flags (The Colbert Report, 2006). In this example it is easy to see that though he is talking about
governance and politics, he incorporates an outlandish sense of humor that mocks policies

PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

implemented under his status quo. Though Colbert represents political satire perfectly, as a fake
political commentator with a television show, a good example highlighting the literature behind
the genre is George Orwells Animal Farm. Animal Farm is a dystopian book that essentially
satirizes the events that occurred during the Russian Revolution. For example, All animals are
equal, but some animals are more equal than others was mentioned in the book (Orwell, 1945).
This quote itself can be interpreted as cynical and sarcastic, thus highlighting the general
conventions of the genre.
When looking at Political Satires genre conventions, it is easy to say that they all share
the same attributes. Referencing the previous examples, Orwell and Colbert utilized the
conventions that made their composition a Political Satire; they used sarcasm and cynicism in
referral to political issues. Knowing these conventions can aid in finding out if a composition is a
Political Satire. Additionally, the genre usually all share the same rhetorical appeals, as you
would be required to logically explain the politics and ethical reasoning behind the joke, as well
as emotionally appeal to the genres audience. Moving on, the genres audience is comprised of
individuals who genuinely enjoy political entertainment, and those who share the same views as
the satirist. For example, the majority of those who watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, are
isolated as a fan base. Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times cites Variety, when he claims that
the majority of Stewarts fan base is usually college educated individuals (Deggans, 2012). Next,
when looking at Colberts and Orwells quotes, the style can easily be interpreted as sarcastic,
humorous, and even cynical; this is additionally seen in Orwells Animal Farm. Lastly, when
looking at both examples, it is clear that the genre of Political Satire can take various forms of
designs, modes, and media. The Colbert Report utilized the television network as an avenue to
convey his satire. Colbert adopted the traditional talk show design and then carried the persona

PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

of a fake political pundit that satirized politicians and political activities every week. Animal
Farm on the other hand, is a book that satirizes and reveals the many ironies in the Russian
Revolution. Both examples exemplify how flexible the genre can be when it comes to design,
mode and media.
Now that the general history, examples, and conventional attributes of political satire
have been reviewed, it is important to look at the genre from an analytic point of view. In an
article written by Anthony Thai of The Harvard Crimson, he explains that political satire outlets,
such as The Daily show and The Onion has risen in popularity over the 21st century due to the
fact that Satire has made politics much more accessible and easy to grasp (Thai, 2014).
Essentially, the genre does well in producing more informed viewers, thus, allowing them to
form more educated opinions and enjoy the show even more. Thai explains that although
Political Satire does have this benefit, there are issues that come with the genre that some
individuals may not like. He explains that arguments have been made that the genre encourages a
negative range of cynicism that challenges politics. He even adds that the genre overtime began
to promote a narrow point of view, particularly with liberal leaning. Oliver Morrison of The
Atlantic explains why this phenomenon occurs by explaining that liberals are easy and
vulnerable targets for humor. He continues by theorizing the reason why conservative comedians
have not taken advantage of that fact. He explains that there are just proportionally fewer
individuals who identify conservatively that take the path of comedy or political satire. He backs
this theory by stating liberals dominate the area of creative art (Morrison, 2015). Knowing this is
important as it shows us how the genre could change the future. An article titled How John
Oliver Usurped a Genre, written by Daniel J. Kenny of the Harvard Political Review, explains
how the genre evolved within the past years. He explains that John Oliver, host of Last Week

PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

Tonight, introduced a unique approach to political satire that trumps his predecessors and other
satirists like Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and Saturday Night Live. His method of satirizing not
only considers the traditional method of satirizing politics and issues covered by the media, but
also satirizing important global issues that no individual would usually know about. Innovators
of the genre, such as John Oliver, prove that the genre is constantly evolving.
From what was reviewed, the genre informs individuals nationally as well as globally.
Animal Farm revealed the faults of the Russian revolution. Additionally, The Daily Show with
Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report revealed the faults in the media as well as the faults in
politics and politicians. Lastly, Last Week Tonight globally informs individuals what is happening
in the world in a matter that will make you laugh uncontrollably. This is essentially the genres
purpose and is why it is so important to culture and society. Initially, I believed that political
satire was just a genre that just uses politics as a medium for comedy. After thorough research, it
became obvious that the genre is much more than that. It is no longer just a genre that happens to
use politics for comedic material; it is a genre that informs its audience of political issues and
faults, comedy just happens to come with the package.

PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

References
Elliot, R. C. (n.d.). Satire. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from
https://www.britannica.com/art/satire Sub-head: Influence of Horace and Juvenal
Webster, M. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2016, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/satire
Colbert, S. (Writer). (2006, November 07). The Colbert Report [Television series episode].
Comedy Central.
Orwell, G. (1954). Animal farm. Pg. 21
Deggans, E. (2012, November 27). At 50, Jon Stewart remains relevant with a fanbase half his
age. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.tampabay.com/features/media/at-50jon-stewart-remains-relevant-with-a-fanbase-half-his-age/1263516
Thai, A. (2014, February 06). Political Satire: Beyond the Humor | Opinion | The Harvard
Crimson. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/2/6/harvard-political-satire/
Morrison, O. (2015, February 14). Waiting for the Conservative Jon Stewart. Retrieved October
02, 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/why-theresno-conservative-jon-stewart/385480/
Kenny, D. J. (2014, October 31). How John Oliver Usurped a Genre - Harvard Political Review.
Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://harvardpolitics.com/books-arts/john-oliverusurped-genre/

PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

Assemblage:

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