BREAKING: Satire Officially Recognized as Valid Political Commentary [View all]
Jonathan Swift got slammed for "A Modest Proposal." Some people didn't recognize it as satire and got really, really angry. People are still getting angry when they don't recognize a piece of satirical writing as satire, even here on DU.
It's still a legitimate way to make political comment, whether some people fail to recognize it as satire or are confused by it. An inability of some to recognize irony, overstatement, the use of obviously false sources and other satirical tools is not reason enough to exclude it from places where politics are discussed. Various writers of satire use various ways to provide clues that a piece of writing is satirical in nature. What they do not do, and should not do, is declare a work to be satire at the very beginning of the work. That defeats the entire purpose of satire.
Some people don't recognize it. Some people also think Donald Trump is a terrific President. The rights of people to express themselves freely are crucial. Failure to understand what has been written doesn't warrant denying those rights.
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