Satire and Subterfuge!

Thank God for humor! Without it most of us probably couldn’t tolerate the nonsense that we encounter in our day-to-day lives. Comedy takes the edge off of more serious topics by presenting things in an entertaining manner. Comic Relief!

Satire especially, is used to poke fun at people and ideas through the use of exaggeration and sarcasm. Satire is a great source of entertainment, especially in the arena of politics and current events. Lord knows we can’t take life too seriously or we are all likely to go insane.

HOWEVER, if we never take life seriously we are likely to be lulled into a trance and led away like children by the Pied Piper of Hamelin. There comes a time where we must face reality and, in a conscious state, address real issues.

The dangers of an over reliance on comedy are two-fold. First, we are likely to miss the message of how the real story impacts our lives. We lose the ability to make informed decisions because we get so caught up in being entertained. The importance of a given topic is downplayed and thus easily forgotten. Second, we get an even more opinionated view of reality. Spin, slant, agenda, bias or whatever you want to call it. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of bias that goes into non-comedic presentations but at least you get a clearer picture of what is going on, especially if you get your information from a variety of sources.

Beware the subterfuge of satire! Looking specifically at politics, both sides (Liberal and Conservative) use this tactic a lot. They make the other side sound absolutely ridiculous by presenting their views in an over-the-top and highly exaggerated manner. Additionally, by making the opposing side’s argument sound silly they are attempting to discredit them.

It’s true no matter what side of the aisle we are on we often see the views of the other as being off in left field, but its important to know the real reason why! We must be able to rationally argue our beliefs and discredit our opposition’s in a respectful manner. This allows us to more clearly see the flaws in our own arguments, find middle ground if it exists or checkmate the opposition. The Federalist Papers are one of the best examples I can think of how to effectively argue a point.

Fight fair and don’t let your zeal for a certain topic cause you to belittle your opponent…something I am guilty of from time to time! Embrace comedy for what it is but don't rely on it. Don't fall asleep!