Dear world: Stop mis-using ‘satire’.
Satire is a genre that ridicules human wrongdoing, with the ultimate goal being to expose institutional oppression and effect social change.
Putting ignorance on display, then panicking, backpedalling and calling it “satire” isn’t hip or edgy or anywhere near as successful a coverup as people seem to think it is.
Key point: Satire is a genre that involves attacking the powerful.
Some things that aren’t satire (if you come from the dominant group of the axis in question):
- Depicting indigenous people as generic “savages”
- Cannibal/cookpot jokes
- Rape jokes
- Cripple jokes
- Golliwogs
- Comments about “killing hookers” or “cutting/choking a bitch”
- Limp-wristed mincing gay jokes
Add your own examples of NotSatire. Feel free to link ‘n’ quote as desired.
Related Posts:
- Are these things really the same? by Mindy
- Welcome Marion Scrymgour! by Lauredhel
- Aboriginal people “scared stiff”, and workforce challenges: more reactions to the Howard war on indigenous autonomy by Lauredhel
- Draft Blog Reader’s Code of Conduct: Don’t threaten to rape and kill her. by Lauredhel
- Nurses speak out about the NT intervention by Lauredhel
* Quicklink to recent open threads
bluemilk: 
mindyhoyden: 
vivsmythe: 
CastIronBalcony: 
puzzlement: 
ChallyWrites: 
ilauredhel: 
A timely call for examples given the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bukingham’s newly published article about how attractive young female students are “perks” for an academic. I don’t think he even intended the piece as satire, but it’s one of the absurd ways it’s being defended.
orlando: Argh, I just found that article! The key excerpts:
*vom*
Ugh.