Today’s screen satire frequently preaches to the converted. Fortunately, there are some notable exceptions that can skewer even the most progressive of viewers.
Articles on Satire
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Too many satirists on social media misunderstand that it is humour designed to provoke change, not merely direct ridicule.
In the mid-16th century, William Baldwin wrote a satire on Catholicism but waited a decade before publishing it. Sensible man.
Is anyone still interested in Monty Python? Surprisingly, yes.
The undercover comic has been criticised for tricking public figures into saying stupid things – but that doesn’t mean they didn’t want to say them.
In an era of fast news, The Simpsons’ slow satire continues to reveal new truths about America.
We may be living in a golden age of satire, but comedy has always struggled to communicate across political divides. Much of today’s satire may be preaching to the choir.
Today’s media consumers are being bombarded with bias and sensationalism – and could use a dose of Mad’s media literacy.
Speaking with: satirist Armando Ianucci on The Death of Stalin
The Conversation, CC BY44.1 MB (download)
Armando Iannucci, the satirist and director behind the film The Death of Stalin spoke with Associate Professor Stephen Harrington, an expert on political satire.
Netflix hit, Black Mirror, follows in the footsteps of other forward-thinking sci-fi storytellers.
The Shed at Dulwich reached TripAdvisor’s No. 1 spot for restaurants in London before it was revealed to be a hoax. The stunt showed how easily we are fooled. The lesson learned? Trust no one.
In our pursuit of a world that is safely and entirely OK, must humour be cleansed of its original sin of cultural appropriation and insensitivity? It depends whether we are ‘laughing up’ or ‘laughing down’.
A president who apparently never laughs, Trump inspires mockery on an unprecedented scale.
Chaplin’s 1940 film ‘The Great Dictator’ mocks Hitler’s absurdity and overweening vanity, while highlighting Germany’s psychological captivity to a political fraud.
Franklin advanced a scientific – not supernatural – understanding of astronomical events such as eclipses. His satirical character ‘Poor Richard’ mocked those who bought into astrological predictions.
Donald Trump Jr. has been compared to Fredo Corleone in The Godfather. But that’s not good casting.
The UK needs more US-style political news satire. Sadly broadcast rules are making that difficult.
John’s conversations were full of hysterical laughter, and he had a way asking questions that drew extraordinary answers.
John Clarke gave voice to a brilliant Antipodean acerbity that has always seemed a little old-fashioned in its moral and tonal dignity. His was a magnificent achievement of focused, pitch-perfect satire.
The growing incidence of racism on social media in South Africa suggests that there are consequences. Whether there ought to be criminal sanctions remains an ongoing debate.
Top contributors
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Professor of English, Flinders University
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Associate Professor in 18th-century Literature, York St John University
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Lecturer in Journalism, Swansea University
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Honorary lecturer, School of Social Sciences, UNSW
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Professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature, Penn State
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Associate Professor in the Media School, Indiana University
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Senior Lecturer in English Literature, York St John University
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Lecturer in Creative Writing, Flinders University
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Kidman Chair in Australian Studies and Director, JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice, Adelaide University
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Assistant Professor of Experimental Psychology, Utah Valley University
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Reader in International Political Economy, University of Warwick
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Associate Professor, School of Communication, Queensland University of Technology
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Professor of English, York University, Canada
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Assistant Professor of Media Communication, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith
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Emeritus Professor, Cardiff University