satire
I personally really enjoy satire. I think it’s a really effective way to get points across with out being too forward. Its shows what’s actually going on in real life situations that may be a little exaggerated for affect. I think this is why a lot of authors use satire to try and get their messages out there and let them be heard. I saw the movie Borat, which I thought was really funny but at the same time really disturbing (and I am not talking about the wrestling scene which I watched sitting next to both my parents). My mother hated the movie because it upset her too much. Looking at all the problems that the movie pointed our really mad her sad at the sorry state which
America is in. Satire is an effective way to make people aware of the surrounding but sometimes not everyone understands. This just leaves them feeling uncomfortable (as everyone did while reading about eating babies). But maybe not understanding it right away makes its even more effective when you finally understand it.
December 7th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I wish that Borat upset my parents the way it did yours. They honestly didn’t see the satiric points, and instead were upset by the language (and that’s why I told my sister NOT to take them to see it). Your mother’s reaction to the film was probably pretty close to the reaction Sascha Baron-Cohen wanted to evoke.
December 7th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
I agree with you that satire is effective because it allows the satirist to express their opinions without being too forward. I think you bring up a good point in saying that sometimes reading satire without knowing its satire in advance makes it more effective. In class we read “The Modern Proposal” and most of us were disgusted at such a proposal when we thought it was true. This strengthened the underlying point once we’d realized the proposal was satire.
December 7th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
Your last sentence in this blog is really effective in describing satire. I think today, a lot of people watch comedies just looking for a good laugh and they don’t go into a theater expecting to get a huge message from it. Most people are just looking for a good time, but that’s why I think satiric movies and shows, even writings, are such a great way of expressing current social issues because it draws people in with general appeal(unfortunately, today everyone loves making fun of everyone else) and then gives them an extra something they weren’t expecting.
December 8th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Your mom’s reaction is the type of reaction that everyone should be having. If everyone realized that the problems are what makes the movie offensive to them and not the language or nudity, then it would be easier to start solving these problems. Coming to terms with the problems posed is the easiest way to realizing the solution.