Warning: critical reading/listening is crucial here. Don't get suckered!
Read:
1) Read "A Modest Proposal"
and choose one or the other to listen to:
2) Watch and/or read Bill Moyers' interview with "The Yes Men"
3) Listen to Bob Edward's interview with Matthew Goodman (here's a second link) about the New York Sun hoax (from 2/6/09; skip to 33:00 minutes in--Goodman is his last guest)
Respond:
1) What role can (and does) humor play in working for social justice?
2) Link us to an example of satire/parody related to your topic.
Some possible TV/web sources: The Onion, The Simpsons, South Park, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Giant Napkin, Unconfirmed Sources, The Best Page in the Universe, Uncyclopedia
3/4/09
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In “A Modest Proposal,” the author poked fun at the children’s situations and offered his point of view, yet he still raised awareness to the problem that Ireland has with their poor people. In the Bill Moyers interview with the “Yes Men,” one of the yes men, Andy Bichlbaum told the story of when the yes men gave a speech on a satirical speech on international trade law. He and the other yes man, Mike Bonanno didn’t really expect to finish the speech. They actually thought that they were going to get kicked out. They were surprise when they didn’t and offered that the reason that they didn’t was because the speech fit with the logic of the conference. I absolutely think that role of humor is needed in working with social justice. If there is one thing that I have learned, it’s not necessarily what you say; it’s how you say it. With humor, you can connect with a variety of people and still get your point across. Often times when you present ideas and try to raise awareness, some people tend to get on the defensive. Once a person is on the defensive, often, they will tune out anything that you try to say. With Satire and humor, your can raise awareness to the issues and present your ideas in a light-hearted manner that doesn't automatically put your audience members on the defensive.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiZdqp85EfI
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ReplyDeleteHumor can play a large role in working for social justice. In "A Modest Proposal" and the interview of the Yes Men, it is clear that people will fall for almost anything. In Bill Moyer's interview of the Yes Men, one of the men said that if you keep within the logic of your audience, what you are presenting won't seem absurd. Also, in both the proposal and the interview with the Yes Men, it seemed they kept composure and remained very serious. "A Modest Proposal" was even brought up in the interview, and the absurdity that people believed what Swift wanted to do was brought up as well. Even the Yes Men's proposal of the "survival ball" caught the attention of many. It was also clear that people who have money can protect themselves more than people who don't. With the survival ball, poor people could not afford it, and in "A Modest Proposal" it was the poor who would be working as in giving birth to a child and then 12 months later, selling it to be someone else's dinner. The satire and humor also catches the eyes of the people who do understand that these authors are kidding. With that, they realize that our world is falling for ridiculous schemes.
ReplyDeleteMy topic for Project #2 is the wage gap between men and women. The video I found is actually pretty amusing at parts because of how serious the interviewer remains as he is asking ridiculous questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pidUFf8vLz4
I read Swift's "A Modest Proposal" in 11th grade and even still after reading it a few years later, I do not like the essay. I understand completely that it is satire, I still do not enjoy reading it.
ReplyDeleteThat said however, I found Bill Moyers' interview with the Yes Men very entertaining. I was prepared for it to be satirical and looked for examples of such instances. I agree with the Yes Men and the previous posts in believing that satire and parody can be used to grab people's attention. This fact is why Saturday Night Live, the Colbert Report, and now the Yes Men are so successful. All the parodies they do on politics, the economy, and other issues get people interested. Thry might even alert people to issues they were unaware of before. These satires allow people to make light of certain issues and hopefully get them thinking in new ways. What the Yes Men are doing-- making up solutions and companies-- seems outrageous, but they may eventually stumble on a clever idea and turn it into something serious, and this is one of the ways that satire can help our society.
I could not find a specific parody on music and education, but there are numerous examples of music being used in parodies and satires. An entire broadway musical called Avenue Q devoted to issues like racism, porn issues, jury duty, and life in the city. Proposition 8 the Musical that we studied a few weeks ago is another example of the large role that music can play in social justice satires. Although I do not have specific statistics, I am willing to bet that most people would rather listen to a funny, catchy song than read an analysis of an issue. The success of these musical parodies proves that music is powerful.
I think Humor does not really have a role in Social Justice. When I read Jonathan Swift or watch a Yes Men interview, I cannot take anything they say seriously. I find what they are doing as funny and it entertains me but I really do not come away learning or taking anything from their work except a couple laughs. An example of my mindset when tuning into satire like these is when I watch the Colbert Report. I am really not looking for news or really learning anything, if I wanted to learn something I would tune in to a real news station like Fox News or CNN. When I watch satire news, I think it’s just poking fun at real world issues. It’s just like a funny joke that you need to know what is going on in the world to understand. To sum my argument up, I really just see satire news and humor in new role as just a sort of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is abortion. My satire video is two short video clips from Family Guy. The first video, Peter is telling how his wife Louis was going to have an abortion, but didn’t and then Louis had a daughter, Meg. The other one is Meg becomes pregnant and Peter says there is only one thing to do. Then you see him take a coat hanger inferring an abortion, but at the last minute uses the hanger to hang up a coat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHj5LscEdRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMaA7FCV8bg&feature=related
I am truly interested if people in the the older days may have looked at this "Proposal" in the same way that people looked at the The Yes Mens' proposal for the "survival ball". Both of these were aimed toward the rich. I was quite amazed, when I saw how people reacted to the Yes Men. I hope that most of them were just trying to be nice and not laugh at the presenters, since they looked quite serious about everything that they said. Satire definitly catches the persons' attention and show a less serious perspective on things, while communicating the message effectively. I think that watching the regular news channels is just plain boring and they often times put things out of perspective. The Onion News for example uses the best satire to tell the news. I wanted to find a clip from the "The Onion Movie" that made fun of news channels. It focused on how much the average news station focuses on the littlest most unimportant subjects while somthing bigger is happening.
ReplyDeleteSince I am doing my project on the Automotive Bailout, I chose the video below because it shows that corporations are the only ones that are getting the bailouts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsxhNDYeytk
I think the satirical essay “A Modest Proposal” and Bill Moyer’s interview with the Yes Men are both very effective. Those of us who are “in on the joke” find it easy to laugh and not pay attention to what is being said. However, the fact that so many people actually are duped means that these men have done their job. Though satire is technically a form of humor, it does not necessarily refer to laughing out loud. The different spin that a satirical approach can take on an issue can put things into perspective. In “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift proposes that the people of Ireland don’t just eat their children, but turn them into a delicacy. When we read this, it comes across as completely preposterous, but the impact it makes draws the necessary attention to the problem at hand. By making fun of the lack of effort by those who are wealthy, attention is drawn and if nothing else, they are shamed into taking action. The same applies with the Yes Men. Their proposal for the energy crisis was completely incredible, but the fact that so many people fell for it speaks volumes about how desperate they actually were for an answer.
ReplyDeleteMy project is on the welfare system and how it affects children. The satirical article I found refers to the unwise use welfare money may be put to by some recipients, and also recognizes the role the fast-food industry (cheap, easy, and quick) has on the majority of America.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29758
Half way through reading "A modest proposal" I remembered that I had read it in high school. I still think it is an up-surd suggestion to the Ireland government, but maybe satires such as this one force people to realize that something needs to be done. Obviously Swifts proposal can not be taken seriously, but the conditions in Ireland were so bad that someone actually proposed a solution such as this one. A desperate proposal like this one may have caused people to stop and say "are you serious? Do you think the conditions are that bad?" Government officials never know how bad it really is. Once politions are elected to office they forget that they once experienced the hardships of a normal person. Mayor Ray Nagen has no idea how bad the lives of the homeless that have created a community under the interstate bridge are because he has not done anything to get it fixed. If someone sent him a proposal like this he might try and find out how these people are living.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theonion.com/content/node/39387/print
The article above goes along with my topic. It talks about how without their apperances in magazines such as Maxim and Playboy. It mostly talks about their bodies and how the language has changed from "perky" and "fit" to "hot" and "sexy." Why has this language changed? Well the article states that it is from a single tennis player, Anna Kournikova. This is an exaggerated statement because female athletes have been appearing more and more in these types of magazines to get the word out about their sport.
Humor can play a very effective role in working for social justice. Humor can be used as a technique to capture the audience’s attention. Humor is also a way to illuminate a situation that is being ignored but needs to be addressed, as in “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift. In the essay, Swift vents about Irelands economy by using satire. He presents a solution to make children of poor people more beneficial and less of burdens. Swift proposed to fatten the poor malnourished children and feed them to the members of the commonwealth. Swift used negative inhumane morals to capture his audience’s attention. This essay astonished the audience to listen and reevaluate it’s morals and values.
ReplyDeleteBill Moyer’s interview with the Yes Men was also very entertaining to read. The satire really captured the audience’s attention. The most memorable part of the interview was the SurvivaBall, and how people actually took it seriously and believed that it worked. Seriously?! I really appreciated the symbolism between the SurvivaBall and the poor suffering/ the rich protecting themselves.
My assignment is on hate crimes. I found an article that uses humor to belittle hate groups. The article gives ten beneficial reasons to join a hate group. It’s hilarious!!
http://www.nowpublic.com/opinions/benefits-joining-hate-group
I think that the use of satire and parody in any form of writing can be an extremely beneficial tool. Especially when discussing major issues in our society today, something outrageous is needed to get people’s attention. I found that Jonathan Swift’s, “A Modern Proposal,” and “The Yes Men,” Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, use satire very well to the point where many of their readers and listeners have been fooled. Swift does not only suggest that the impoverished people of Ireland sell their children as food, but he also includes ways to cook the children and how much each child should cost. “The Yes Men” do the same by preparing everything from slide shows and models to brand names and labels when presenting their ideas. Using satire enables the writer to say everything that he/she usually wouldn’t.
ReplyDeleteIn project one I very briefly mentioned that the Louisiana Wetlands did not only cater to human needs, but housed various animals and if the wetlands continue to vanish, so will the living creatures that inhabit them. Well, apparently I was wrong. According to Ed Helms, a correspondent from Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, the "lovable" nutria thrives in Louisiana’s pollution and environmental abuse.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=117664&title=Unendangered-Species
I think humor plays a big role in social justice writing because this type of writing can get very deep and it helps to have some sort of comic relief. I understand what the author was going for in "A Modest Proposal" but for some reason it didn't work for me. I know its not meant to be outright hilarious but I was just bored out of my mind reading it. The interview with the Yes Men was a little more entertaining and i think they got the satire aspect of it across much better.
ReplyDeleteFor my paper on the wetlands i found it difficult to find a parody piece. I found a lot dealing with Hurricane Katrina and some that touch on the levee systems but nothing directly related to the purpose of my paper. Below are the links to the pages that touched on my topic:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/hurricane_katrina_returns_to_new
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=124247&title=hurricane-katrina-tape-delay
I agree that satire or parody can play an important role in many social justice issues. Many people would rather ignore issues facing them today, for example; abortion, gay marriage rights, etc. By adding humor and sarcasm in the writing it makes those not interested in the subject more likely to read it.
ReplyDeleteIn Bob Edwards interview with Matthew Goodman he states that the New York Sun newspaper founded by Benjamin day. Having 11 daily newspapers in New York, The Sun cost 1 cent and printed stories people wanted to read about. These stories including gossip, comedy, scandal. This paper took off in the 1830s. Before The New York Sun most newspapers were only received by subscription. Benjamin Day began started selling these newspapers by newsboys. Benjamin Day changed the newspaper business forever in New York.
Richard Lock wrote for The New York Sun. Benjamin Day figured out that jarring stories grabbed a lot of attention. When Lock began writing a series of stories they became extremely popular. By the time the series was over, The Sun became the most widely read newspaper in the entire world.
For my paper I am focusing on Gay marriage rights. I think that satire and parody could work. My audience is directed towards people between 20-30.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRIKtRxTvk0&feature=related
I think that in “A Modest Proposal” and the Bill Moyers’ interview with “The Yes Man” that there is no doubt that they are very comical to read and listen too. I think that humor can play an effective role in working for social justice. I thought by watching the video that the speakers really captured the audience’s attention, to the point where they believed anything that was coming out of their mouths. Satire has a way of doing that. It tones down the message to a less serious approach in a way where the speaker can still present an effective message.
ReplyDeleteI could not find anything on youtube or any other site of a satire/parody pertaining to my topic of the separation of church and state. The only thing I kept coming to when looking for one about my topic was proposition 8, which really has nothing to do with my topic. I found several other comical parodies on websites about the government, but none of which had anything to do with church.
Laughter is one joy that all can share. Humor catches the attention of all people, the way in which it is said or done may vary, but all can agree on funny. I do think social justice can be well addressed using satire of parody, but maybe not all issues. A Modest Proposal may not have tickled my fancy, but i did enjoy how it got the issue out and made you learn about while using humor. As for the YES MEN they may not be serious and or truthful but their tactics are undeniable. These partners have used satire and parody in a way that most can not refuse. I believe it was Mike Bonanno that said as long as they "keep within the logic" they will catch the audience. They are persuasive and use their fun to maybe not have people commit to their ideas but at least they do respect what they have said. This is kind of a cynical way to go about things but it shows that humor can get across a important message. My topic is abortion and although i can accept when satire or parody is used when dealing with this issue, i feel as though not all or most can't. Considering it's extremes on either side of the debate.
ReplyDeleteI think that satire and parody is a way for you to get your point across as inoffensively as possible. With topics that are passion driven you sometimes feel the need to skirt around issues. Satire and parody allow you to say exactly what you want to say even if it isn't politically correct. In 'A Modest Proposal', I think that satire was used very effectively when Swift mentions the other solutions to the problems in Ireland, which he then sort of brushes off as possibilities. As for the Yes Men, I think that they are perfect examples of what parody and satire is. Here you have a couple of guys making absurd claims and suggestions and people are actually buying it. C'mon...the survivaball? I think that they said it best, the wealthy can always afford to get out of a sticky situation while the poor suffer. And those who are able to fend for themselves and their families don't mind the suffering of others.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with reading parody and satire is that it is sometimes hard to figure that out. It's not like you can hear the sarcasm as can be the case in spoken word. This could limit your audience if not everyone gets it. Also I feel like if I were to use satire with the topic that I am working on, that it would make light of my position. And I believe that the topic should be taken seriously and I don't want to take away from that.
Humor and laughter is something everyone enjoys and personally, I love to read funny articles and speeches. They are much more inviting and interesting for the reader. Also,it cauches peoples attention. I believe that using the satire approach allows the audience to have some insight on the real,deep issues the speaker is trying to portray. However, some issues are hard to discuss. But, by putting a funny twist to the issue, it allows the audience to laugh and enjoy the speech as well as understand the importance of the core issue. Although, satire can be tricky in that the speaker can go too far and offend people in some way. I enjoyed "A Modest Proposal" because I really took into account how serious the issue is and reflected on that. I think that was the authors purpose and he did a good job in getting the audience to have some kind of opinion on the issue.
ReplyDeleteFor my project, I find it hard for me to use satire because I'm not really good at writing it and I don't want to turn my topic into a joke. My topic is about Haiti and what the country is going through. It's a very serious issue for me and don't want people to think it isn't a big deal. Therefore, I believe some social justice issues are okay to joke around about, but others are very tricky.
Humor and parody is probably one of the most important tools used in social justice today because it allows us to step back and look and the situation from another standpoint. Sometimes when we make fun of something, we can see that the point people are trying to prove is actually laughable. People sometimes get so wrapped up in fighting for justice that they go to great and absurd extremes. If somebody can look at themselves and laugh, they may be able to change their mind because of their present absurd state.
ReplyDeleteThis is a video that was mentioned in class, but it takes a look at racism from a different point of view by overusing a word that is sociably unacceptable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelwItMuJiY
Humor is something that everyone can relate to, and that's what makes it easy to use in almost any situation. In these article/videos satire is used to lighten the situation on important issues. The video of "The Yes Men" was astonishing. I think that is amazing how these guys went around to many high-ranking companies and lectured/presented ridiculous ideas and products. It was hilarious how all those people never even noticed, and even some noticed way later on. These guys are skilled at using humor to get a point across. The article was at first a little shocking; it was more like craziness than comedy; however, it really kept me reading and wanting to know the real issue behind it. Using this technique, lightens people's mind on the issue and allows them to look at it in a different way rather than their previous mood.
ReplyDeleteFor my next project, I will be focusing in on the LGBT discrimination again. Here is a comical video from "The Onion." It may not be exactly related to my topic, but it defintely is linked. I think for an issue dealing with LGBT discrimination would be easy to use satire. I think it may even upset a few people who don't believe in gay rights, just because it is basically making fun of the way the other communities treat LGBT people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZaisF3iLKg