It can be exasperating to feel incapable of influencing the politics of our time. But new research concludes that political satire gives you tools to orientate and engage in politics.
No step for man, a giant leap for human mind. The ability political satire has to inspire political interest and media awareness in youths is the essence of new research conducted at Lund university.
Joanna Doona, who received her doctorate this September, has examined the audiences of the political satire podcast Tankesmedjan and the television program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her findings show that political satire occupies an important function that ordinary news programs cannot fill:
“They have an emotional and pedagogical function that helps the audience to better understand current issues”, says Joanna Doona.
In the tumultuous present day media landscape, where everyone is a potential news source, it is vital to think critically about what you read, hear and see. The confusion and constant vigilance can be a problem.
“To feel the unending need to be critical and that you sort of have to have studied at a university to understand a political speech; it is fundamentally undemocratic. Those not feeling a part of that may turn to superficial perspectives”, says Joanna Doona.
According to her, many young people are not necessarily looking for objectivity, but rather want to be emotionally engaged. One of the interviewees, working at a local council, sometimes felt alienated from her colleagues because of her enthusiasm. On those occasions she thought of the podcast Tankesmedjan as
a little friend as it maintained her political engagement.
“Because you can get really tired of all the political correctness, I’m sick of that sometimes”, she commented.
As this shows, political satire programs invite engagement and also seem to improve independent and critical thinking.
“Political satire create a capability to understand that everything isn’t what it looks like, maybe you need to dig deeper and criticise”, says Joanna Doona.
As an individual it can be hard, sometimes seemingly impossible, to change the currents of the political world. That being said, what can the individual do? Democracy is about engagement and political satire is one, admittedly fun, way to engage.
As Joanna Doona states, it is fundamentally undemocratic not to understand a political speech. Political satire exists to explain them, their falsities and booby-traps, and gives you tools to analyse politics.