Political Satire Influence On Politics

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Political Satire: A Force in Politics On Thursday, January 12, 2012, Stephen Colbert, a popular faux newscaster and host of The Colbert Report, announced his presidential run for the office of “The United States of America of South Carolina.” While the host of the satirical television show was not be able to run due to South Carolina’s voting laws, the announcement caused quite a showing of support, and in a Public Policy Polling poll, Colbert was ahead of former governor John Huntsman by a percentile (Shaw). The public’s response to Colbert’s announcement reflects the political power of present day satirists. Since adept political cartoonists, satirists, and comedians are able to expose the actions and ideas of national and world…show more content…
The political candidates will be “exposed and discredited” from many angles on television shows, such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live, and in political cartoons in newspapers around the country. This practice has a long and storied history that has changed politics significantly. A critic of satire’s affect on politics might state that it is purely for humor and has no influence on political reality; satirical television shows are funny but not credible enough to sway political opinion. The expectation is that educated voters and practicing politicians look past the taunts and jokes of practicing satirists. However, this view is not the case. Political satire has played a key role in politics for over 2,400 years, starting with the dramatist Aristophanes, satirizing the leaders of Athens on their misconduct of the Peloponnesian war…show more content…
As Professor of Political Science, Victor Navasky said, “There is no cartoon to the editor.” (Navasky) The frustration that comes from this dilemma is most likely what infuriated so many world leaders over the years. However, with a population becoming more and more literate political cartoons are started to become a dying art form; they do not have the same effect on the masses as they once did. The rising literacy rate, paired with falling newspaper sales, have caused this decline as the political satirist turn their talents to a whole new digitalized
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