On Political Satire: The Lifeblood of Youth’s Political Interest
Most people do not equate politics with humor; however, political satire plays a huge role in contemporary society, especially among the youth. In the age globalization and increased communications, it is so easy to know what is happening around the world. From The Daily Show to the Colbert Report, political humor programs send a sense of relief and true connectivity, to the distressed youth living in an age of constant political struggle, the news’ unreliability, and a wholesale negativity about the future. Moreover, political satire helps the audience get more involved in politics as they see the freedom of speech, even if spoken against the government, is an acceptable method …show more content…
It is important that the irony or the sarcasm the satirist uses be clear enough for the audience to understand since some people take programs like the Colbert Report too seriously. Journalist Christopher Olver summarizes the study, published in the International Journal of Press/Politics, “The Irony of Satire: Political Ideology and the Motivation to See What You Want to See in The Colbert Report”, “Overall, the research indicates that the “ambiguous deadpan satire offered by Stephen Colbert in The Colbert Report is interpreted by audiences in a manner that best fits with their individual political beliefs” (Olver). From the findings in this study, it was proven that when watching satire, some people do not understand the irony and their own beliefs are polarized even if the satire is actually mocking their beliefs. Olver states that the Republicans who watched the Colbert Report increasingly believed that his conservative act mirrored his true political stance. Contemporary political satire does not work if the intended audience lacks the similar sort of semi-cynical and suave sarcasm seen in today's youth and usually progressive
Most people do not equate politics with humor; however, political satire plays a huge role in contemporary society, especially among the youth. In the age globalization and increased communications, it is so easy to know what is happening around the world. From The Daily Show to the Colbert Report, political humor programs send a sense of relief and true connectivity, to the distressed youth living in an age of constant political struggle, the news’ unreliability, and a wholesale negativity about the future. Moreover, political satire helps the audience get more involved in politics as they see the freedom of speech, even if spoken against the government, is an acceptable method …show more content…
It is important that the irony or the sarcasm the satirist uses be clear enough for the audience to understand since some people take programs like the Colbert Report too seriously. Journalist Christopher Olver summarizes the study, published in the International Journal of Press/Politics, “The Irony of Satire: Political Ideology and the Motivation to See What You Want to See in The Colbert Report”, “Overall, the research indicates that the “ambiguous deadpan satire offered by Stephen Colbert in The Colbert Report is interpreted by audiences in a manner that best fits with their individual political beliefs” (Olver). From the findings in this study, it was proven that when watching satire, some people do not understand the irony and their own beliefs are polarized even if the satire is actually mocking their beliefs. Olver states that the Republicans who watched the Colbert Report increasingly believed that his conservative act mirrored his true political stance. Contemporary political satire does not work if the intended audience lacks the similar sort of semi-cynical and suave sarcasm seen in today's youth and usually progressive