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Re: A Different View

Posted by Scott on January 4, 2014, 5:05 pm, in reply to "A Different View"
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A tips for writing satire from a well-worn writer:

Effective satire points out how stupid, silly, or ridiculous something or someone is with the goal to mock and discredit that person or thing.

When a victim of satire is offended, saying "it was just a joke!" makes things worse by deflecting any responsibility for bad satire from the author to that person who was offended. Best to apologize for offending feelings regardless of the author's view of the "legitimacy" of the satire. Especially if you have to live, work, and play with those same people. You can apologize for hurt feelings and still be true to your personal views.

One should not be surprised when people who feel mocked, discredited, or have been made to look silly or stupid display hurt feelings or even anger.

That's why writing good satire is so difficult and risky.

It is much better to "punch up" than to "punch down". Oppressed people mocking those with power makes good satire. People with power mocking those without power is just cruelness, or perhaps even a cowardliness if that person of power insists on anonymity.

Good satire should make someone laugh most times, but more importantly, good satire should make someone think. If it doesn't further thinking then it is not true satire; it is just a stupid joke based on cruelty that upset some people.
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