Having been born and raised in Colombia, I had not been exposed to American political satire until recently. Therefore, it can be difficult for me to talk about American politics and American comedy. Even though I understand that what happens in this country surely affects the rest of the world, and that by fighting for equality here we are starting a wave that can reach other countries in the future, I feel that a big part of me is still in Colombia and that, in a sense, the way in which people deal with social and political issues there will affect me more in the long run. That can be extremely scary because unfortunately, activism is very scarce in Colombia. After having seen the magnitude of people that are speaking up and fighting for change in the US, I would say that the fact that political satire is so popular in this country is a factor that contributes to the enforcing of democracy, and that somehow inspires political action.
Since I moved to the US I have been exposed to various forms of political satire and I have noticed the power that it has had in making people aware of the sociopolitical situation. Clearly its main purpose is to expose the flaws and ridiculousness of those in positions of power, but by doing this it also manages to bring the attention of the viewers to certain issues that they would not have realized existed in any other way. It has certainly helped me forge a stronger opinion regarding politics in this country, while still laughing at how absurd everything is. The more informed I am regarding the current political situation the more I understand political satire. But in the same way, the more I watch shows like The Daily Show or Late Night with Seth Meyers, the more I learn and the more I understand certain issues. In his article, Adrian Chen refers to a study that proved that “the humorous dissection of complex issues helped viewers feel more empowered to participate in political change.” And even though it might not be the predominant factor that initiates political action, it definitely invites people to be more critical and participative. Seeing the ridiculous way in which these people in positions of power act can be a source of relief, a source of enlightenment and it can help strengthen democracy.
In Colombia we don’t really have forms of political satire that people can relate to and that are easily accessible. That is why I could relate closely to the Chen’s article as he talks about bringing satire to Nigeria’s popular media as a means of increasing political participation. If Colombia had more comedians that addressed current issues and that were able to mock corrupt politicians and ridicule those people who somehow claim to have moral superiority, there would be much less resentment and much more political action. By exaggerating certain issues, political satire manages to expose flaws and deficiencies in society, so accessible political satire would keep the Colombian youth informed, it would provide them with a more critical point of view and it would make them feel like, in a world of political corruption and ridiculousness, they can actually make things better.
Of course the situation in the US is extremely different from the one in Colombia, or in any other country for that matter, as Trump has become an act of satire himself. Many could say that the job of political satirists has been reduced to repeat what the president and his allies say. However, it is important to note that comedians, especially those who have “news format” comedy shows, are not only making “fun of,” but they are also providing critical points of view on multiple issues. And we should also note that many people consider these comedians more reliable that CNN or Fox News because they seem to be more transparent, or maybe because politics became so unorthodox, that news sources have to be somehow unconventional as well. In any case, even though satire has had to change because the reality we inhabit has changed, it still has the immense responsibility of making people laugh while still being an illuminating medium.
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