Malachai

I believe that the wild success of satire is a result of its manner concerning problems.  Satire makes fun of serious issues in a constructive manner so that it will help to make people aware of the seriousness of situations. For example, when one of the most prestigious philosophers in
Ireland suggests that eating babies will help to solve a hunger problem, people are shocked. Satire can often utilize a sickening sense of humor, but it still draws attention to major problems. A movie like Borat or the essay “A modest proposal” are satire because they poke fun at serious world problems. In Borat, it is racism that is confronted and in “A modest proposal” it is the living conditions of the Irish nation. These examples look to change society and they aim to better it as well. A movie such as Scary Movie however is not one that does this. While it does make fun of some larger problems, it does not take a stand on them and the purpose is humor rather than change. To me, satire is something I enjoy because it brings out the darker look on many problems and helps to reveal many things. Thus satire is amusing as well as constructive. Some of my favorite examples include Farside comics and Saturday Night Live.