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Running head: PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

Project 1: Political Satire as a Genre

Kevin Zhou
Florida State University

Running head: 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 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 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, and society. When looking at the three criteria, politics would usually be the first
word the 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 of Satire.
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

Running head: PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

governance and politics, he incorporates an outlandish sense of humor that mocks policies
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 ironic and sarcastic.
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

Running head: PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

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
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. Firstly,
what does the genre do well? Why would people like or dislike the genre? An article written by
Anthony Thai of the Harvard Crimson, answers these question. In his article 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

Running head: PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

this is important; for it begs the question on how will the genre 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 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.
So how is the genre of Political Satire important? 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 essential 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.

Running head: PROJECT 1: POLITICAL SATIRE AS A GENRE

Assemblage:

Vote Donald Trump: A speech from a strong supporter of Donald Trump to all Americans
(Transcript)

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that I have an announcement to make. Donald
Trump, has announced he is running for President of the United States. Hes a really smart man, I
mean hes got the world by the balls right now, I mean he has a lot of money, hes very
influential because of his money, and what hes done with like his empire.
This country, this country, were losing, we dont win anymore. We dont win any more
and were going to start winning.
Are you ready to make America great again?