Satire: Just a Tool for Democracy

By DON ROLLINS

“Stop them damned pictures. I don’t care so much what the papers say about me. My constituents don’t know how to read, but they can’t help seeing them damned pictures.” — Boss Tweed, 1870s

“Political satire became obsolete when they awarded Henry Kissinger the Nobel Peace Prize” - Tom Lehrer

Lord, how we love when American politicians morph into their own caricatures. Nixon’s double-victory camera pose, Hillary Clinton’s pantsuits, John Boehner’s proclivity for tearing up mid speech — all rich fodder for satirists, cartoonists, cyber critics and any given episode of Saturday Night Live.

Caricature is not the only form of satire, but I’m betting most of us can conjure up a spot-on impression of some pol - beloved or despised - that stuck. Maybe an edgy cartoon or poem or lyric. (Or you could just stay with Trump. The man remains a treasure trove for acerbic caricatures, and should be awarded his own wing in the hall of free comedic material.)

Much more important to the republic than Trump’s satirical longevity is satire itself — in particular its place in our history, and its place in our very bones.

It was sometime in the early 1700s when colonial publications began lampooning most everything British, particularly England’s reigning royalty and occupying officials. Those targeted were depicted as murderous buffoons, often in cartoon-form in order to reach non-readers.

Responsible satirists thereafter remained true to this thorn-in-the-flesh philosophy; but by abolitionist times had become embedded in political discourse, adding vocabulary (gerrymandering, muckraking) and symbols (the donkey and elephant) to the mix. Lampooning had earned status as an unofficial part in getting and staying in office.

Although less measurable than in the case of history, satire also adds immense value to the public square by way of the country’s psyche (soul?). Done well, and with purpose and timing, satire:

Gets our attention and engages us with creativity

Tests the boundaries of society

Speaks to multiple intelligences

Challenges us to “unmask” issues/personalities and go deeper

Blunts the pain of difficult events

Encourages us to lighten the hell up whenever possible

Clearly satire has more to offer than mere goofing on the other party. It goes to how we put ourselves, one another, and even the republic in perspective.

Critics of today’s satire — especially those whose nostrils flare when their politician of choice is caractured — often deny the above claims. For them, satire has little historical basis, and even less value to add. This is nonsense. To paraphrase Stanford School of Medicine’s Anthony Thai, satire is just a tool. An instrument in the toolbox of this democratic society.

Don Rollins is a Unitarian Universalist minister in Jackson, Ohio. Email donaldlrollins@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, April 1, 2023

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