Hailey Hannigan

Inside McClennen and Maisel’s book, Is Satire Saving Our Nation, is the simple dedication, “To Russia, with love” [1].Without needing any other context, most readers can see the humor in the phrase: a book about humor dedicated to a nation known for its intolerance of that very thing. Satire is often recognized as a sign of a healthy, blossoming democracy, but is it? In my latest web article, “Gerald’s Great Fall: Satire and Presidential Approachability,” I focused on how presidents can use satire as a diplomatic tool to help their image. But the importance of satire goes beyond just heads of state. Comedy can be a tool to promote social change and act as a watchdog on the government, yet it often has unforeseen consequences. Political cartoons are one example of this kind of humor, often stoking the flames of protest and keeping the great heads of state from having overly-inflated opinions of themselves.

Protests are dominating headlines as of late. While it may seem easy to paint with broad brush strokes, the root discontent for each of these protests remain different. Chilean protests are unlike those in Hong Kong in that the Chileans are sick of over thirty years of broken promises and an economic “miracle” that was only miraculous for an elite few.

Last month, an unexpected courtroom scene took place. Eighteen year old Brandt Jean, brother of Botham Jean, stepped down from the witness stand to embrace Amber Guyers, the woman who killed his brother [1]. One late night earlier this year, Guyers walked into the apartment of Botham Jean, thinking it was her own. Alarmed at Jean’s presence, Guyers shot him twice, killing him in his own home. In what some are calling a racially motivated act of violence, this courtroom moment of mercy soothed tensions—if but for a moment [2]. In an America where 71% of Blacks and 56% of Whites feel that race relations are generally bad, a courtroom scene like this is uncommon. [3]. But moments like the forgiving embrace between Jean and Guyer do not have to be few and far between.

[9] Liz Covart, “American Independence: An Eighteenth-Century Brexit.” https://www.lizcovart.com/blog/2019/2/10/brexit-and-american-independence