Essay action plan

 Essay action plan/ quotes

Plan

What is Satire?

‘The use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.’

'Satire is a complex art form, one that relies upon contemporary issues, a high level of literacy, and a healthy sense of irony to be understood' PG28 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

'Satire is protected speech. Even if the object of the satire doesn't get it' - comedian Al Franken PG20 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

'Every joke is a tiny revolution' - George Orwell 

Satire and its’ role within sociopolitics 

'Humanity has unquestionably one really effective weapon- laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution- these can lift at a colossal humbug- push it a little- weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand' - Mark Twain PG9 (Meyerowitz, R., 2019. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

'It was smarter than anything else out there, and it boldly proclaimed that this magazine would be totally, gleefully, perversely, socially, politically, infamously, every way possibly, incorrect' PG12 (Meyerowitz, R., 2019. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

Ricks' goal within the caricatures he drew was to 'get the attention of my subject by publishing an image that they would see, and to make them wince with recognition. If I couldn't change the course of events, I could at least give them a virtual smack in the nose' PG90 (Meyerowitz, R., 2019. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

Gahan Wilson worked as a cartoonist for the Lampoon during the 70's; 'he created fiery social satire, an antireligious, antimilitary, antiauthoritarian, oversize dose of distrust of all authority'. Meyerowitz notes how 'every day we see proof that we live in Gahan Wilsons' world. He has, most probably, imagined our real future. Now, isn't that scary?' - Rick Meyerowitz PG186 (Meyerowitz, R., 2019. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

20th Century satirical films such as Kubricks' 'Dr. Strangelove (1964) or Terry Gilliams' 'Brazil' (1985). Satire has been employed by a multitude of filmmakers and writers in order to 'address a wide range of important contemporary issues, including war-mongering, commercialised violence, poverty, abortion, racism, and political corruption' PG31 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

Rushkoff elaborates on how 'media controllers' are those (in the words of Noam Chomsky) whom 'manufacture consent'; media activists consequently are 'rebels' against societal norms. According to Rushkoff, these media activists use 'viruses' in order to 'promote countercultural agendas'. Despite the negative connotations of 'viruses', Rushkoff focuses on the positives in terms of subverting the status quo, thus leading to 'some sort of evolution'. PG38  (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

'Cartoonists have contributed to the political and social fabric of America since the founding of the republic, when Benjamin Franklins' crude drawing 'Join, or Die' called for a united front against England in 1754' - Chris Lamb 'Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons' (2003)

The shift in how we consumer satire - Television 

'We now live in a world defined not by the word but by the image' PG29 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

Technologies' impact on the forms of satire is prevalent in how The Simpsons became a massive cultural icon; Amanda Lotz explores the changes in technology from 1985-1995 and the dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour in the US. Fox became a dominant television presence due to the 'new era of industry competition' and 'the emergence of new technologies' PG22 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

Within the context of television, the satire in The Simpsons 'helps illuminate the potential for oppositional content and the limitations to that imposed by the shows' position as part of a global media empire and merchandising phenomenon' PG22 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

According to media scholar Douglas Rushkoff in his book 'media virus' the key to The Simpsons' success in how it has become a 'media virus' is its' use of 'counterculture missiles' and 'subversive messages'. 'A popular children's show is the perfect virus' PG 38 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

'TV is a barrage of urgent imagery and alarms interspersed with urgent imagery trying to sell you something. So, to operate in that arena, you've got to be garish, bold and physical. No matter how clever you are, you've got to have Homer slam into a brick wall at some point' - Matt Groeing PG 37 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

'Entertain and subvert. That’s my motto' - Matt Groeing PG39 (Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.)

What is a meme?

The term 'meme' was coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 used to refer to 'small units of culture that spread from person to person by copying or imitation'  PG 2 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

'memes diffuse from person to person, but shape and reflect general mindsets' PG5 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

'internet memes can be treated (post)modern folklore, in which shared norms and values are constructed through cultural artifacts such as Photoshopped images or urban legends' PG14 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

There are two key ways in which memes can be repackaged on the web are 'mimicry and remix'. Mimicry involves the practice of 'redoing'; the act of recreation of a specific text or image by other people and by other means PG20 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

The origins of memes

'Memes are essentially 100 years of text art boiled down into your feed' - Darren Wershler, who claims that memes are 'everyday conceptualism' (Bucknell, A., 2017. What Memes Owe To Art History. [online] Artsy. Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-memes-owe-art-history> [Accessed 12 October 2020].)

Andy Warhol and Man Ray are figures in this pre digital meme culture, with work criticising the American Dream and Capitalism consumerism in a fun and witty way

Like performance art of the 60s, memes are created to have an intentionally 'hackable' interface where people can hijack the format and create their own versions; memes are meant to be interactive and can be applied to different contexts

Despite feeling massively contemporary and modern in the digital age, meme design is heavily influenced by the 20th century arts' most 'revolutionary ideas' (Bucknell, A., 2017. What Memes Owe To Art History. [online] Artsy. Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-memes-owe-art-history> [Accessed 12 October 2020].)

Early 'memes': 'Kilroy was here'. This 'veteran meme' was launched during WW2 and was linked to a Massachusetts shipyard inspector named James. J. Kilroy (according to Daniel Gilmore). To warn others of Kilroys' inspections, people began to spot these drawings all over unexpected internal parts of ships. After the war, Kilroy was 'reincarnated in urban graffiti, as well as pop culture artifacts' pg26 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

Memes and their role in mass communication of sociopolitics

Memes were initially considered a pretty irrelevant source for communicating 'mass-meditated content', but now are recognised as an incredibly relevant form of communication due to a time 'marked by a convergence of media platforms', enabling content to flow more swiftly PG6-7 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

'In an era marked by "network individualism" people use memes to simultaneously express both their uniqueness and their connectivity' PG31 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

The tools of the digital world 'while designed for mundane uses, can be extremely powerful in the hands of digital activists, especially those environments where free speech is limited' - Ethan Zuckerman, 'The Cute Cat Theory of Digital Activism' PG119 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

Viral videos in the context of persuasion and political campaigns highlight the ways in which 'power comes into play in an allegedly egalitarian sphere'. Memes in the form of political action stressed their role of 'citizen empowerment' PG127 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

Memes ‘expand the range of participatory options in democracies; citizens can express their political opinions in new and accessible ways, engage in heated debates, and enjoy the process to boot' PG144 (Shifman, L., 2015. Memes In Digital Culture. Boca Raton: CRC Press.)

Post curated the iconic exhibition 'What Do You Meme?'; all work created by female artists, the exhibition explores the subversive and subcultural power of memes in 'undercutting the role of the artist'  (Bucknell, A., 2017. What Memes Owe To Art History. [online] Artsy. Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-memes-owe-art-history> [Accessed 12 October 2020].

Is satire still relevant today?

Slavs and Tatars use satire and humour in publication and exhibitions to explore 'an area east of the former Berlin wall and west of The Great Wall of China'

'The subject of satire was really a question for us. We were asking,'what is the relevance of satire today?'

Satire has been used in design as a way of speaking truth to power and 'pricking peoples consciousness'

Crack up Crack down by Slavs and Tatars also explores the connection between graphics and satire, through considering the importance of accessibility 

Started in 1955, the Biennial was significant in 'bringing together artists and designers from the East and West of the world during the Cold war' which was primarily through an emphasis on printed materials that could be printed cheaply and easily

Satire also has a strong association of politics and cartoons; Nejc Prah designed the publications identity, and took inspiration from early 20th century Slovenian satirical newspapers. He picked up on common visual themes in these newspapers, and generated a visual language the embraces the jab of a joke with a hedgehog like character

'Today when anyone can make a meme on their phone, we wanted to test the waters and ask, 'what are the limits of satire?' (Miller, M., 2019. Is Satire Possible In Art And Design Today?. [online] Eye on Design. Available at: <https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/whats-the-state-of-satire-in-graphic-design/> [Accessed 12 October 2020].)