Friday, April 21, 2017

Why Political Satire Is Important To Democracies

By Andrew Thompson


Folks have long been keen on making light of the burden of politics, especially when things seem to have gone too far out with ruling regimes. One ancient Greek political satirist wrote what have become classic works in literature. Rare are the times when people in a democracy, ancient or modern, ever agree entirely on the hottest issues of the day.

As communities go, so, too, men go, and for democratic societies, people are often given the right to express or voice opinions. Political satire is a good method of expression for those dealing with delicate issues. In a democracy, it is ideal that the rulers believe in their own government, so that satire is something they can take from writers and pundits.

The written word used to be the most powerful medium used for expressing political views, for both government and its dissenters. It took many centuries to remake democracy into a system that can be useful and effective for all men. This political enlightenment has made currency out of keeping a level of sanity or even impetus through the use of humor.

The national capital is so full of many writers using satire that the character of the city itself is defined by the most refined and long running political jokes. Politicians will sometimes admit to imperfections, so they often appeal to all citizens of the republic to help pass good laws and make decisions. Towards these times are the humorists trying to steer people towards.

A lot of folks here are always up to date about all that is current in political humor made by satirical artists. Many folks use this in making movies, TV shows, songs and other forms of art or media. What they often have is good relevance and some excellent serious views about what can be going wrong with the establishment and the ways it tries to govern the republic.

So much is being said in implied or hidden tones that sometimes satire is seen as dissent. Of course, since democracies are supposed to be open, dissenting opinion is an expected thing. Americans have long been used to this, and everyone practices some kind of satire in the way they express themselves, right down to that bumper sticker.

In regimes where common expression is muzzled or controlled, this can be the vehicle for providing people information. Though democracies are strong today, there are still many states in the world where people are shot for their dissenting political views. It all depends on how enlightened the rulers are or the powerful personalities that walk center stage.

For the times, this type of humorous expression is always relevant to place and time, the reason for its popularity. People can see it as confirmation of the way they feel or think, and so they support it to express their political desires. Many celebrity entertainers today make it a habit to caricature famous figures and showing up faults that many cannot see.

For those who watch society, satire is one thing that is used to warn people of what their politicians are about and point out what they may be doing wrong. The politicians of today are sensitized by the way they receive criticism, something they will often take constructively because they want to be relevant and connected. This type of humor thus helps politics achieve good balance.




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