How Political Satire Works For The Republic

By Andrew Thompson


Folks have long been keen on making light of the burden of politics, especially when things seem to have gone too far out with ruling regimes. One ancient Greek political satirist wrote what have become classic works in literature. Rare are the times when people in a democracy, ancient or modern, ever agree entirely on the hottest issues of the day.

Politics often grow roots in communities, especially in democracies, where people have the right to voice what they think is right. Political satire is always one way for expressing ideas that have sensitive content. For democracies, rulers should ideally be people who think that satirical observations are acceptable from those whose opinion are respected.

Once, it was the written word which was the most powerful vehicle for political expression, whether the citizen is against the government or not. Mankind has taken a long time to view democracy as something really workable. But even in the most enlightened democracies, making jokes out of the mistakes of politicians can be the key to making things work.

The national capital is so full of many writers using satire that the character of the city itself is defined by the most refined and long running political jokes. Politicians will sometimes admit to imperfections, so they often appeal to all citizens of the republic to help pass good laws and make decisions. Towards these times are the humorists trying to steer people towards.

A lot of folks here are always up to date about all that is current in political humor made by satirical artists. Many folks use this in making movies, TV shows, songs and other forms of art or media. What they often have is good relevance and some excellent serious views about what can be going wrong with the establishment and the ways it tries to govern the republic.

So much is being said in implied or hidden tones that sometimes satire is seen as dissent. Of course, since democracies are supposed to be open, dissenting opinion is an expected thing. Americans have long been used to this, and everyone practices some kind of satire in the way they express themselves, right down to that bumper sticker.

In regimes where common expression is muzzled or controlled, this can be the vehicle for providing people information. Though democracies are strong today, there are still many states in the world where people are shot for their dissenting political views. It all depends on how enlightened the rulers are or the powerful personalities that walk center stage.

This humor is a thing tied up with current events and the society in which it is made, and this makes it popular among many. Folks may feel that satirists are expressing things that they wish to, and they appreciate satirists who do this. Comedians have shows that are often composed of humor about politicians, among other things, and this makes them relevant.

Satire is also the vehicle for watchdogs, of those who warn society what can potentially happen when politicians are simply given their leave to do what they want. Politicos are often very sensitive to this, but in a constructive way, because they also want to themselves seen as people with the correct opinions. Thus humor in politics helps democratic societies to have balance and stability.




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