Political and Cultural Satire - What America does best?

Zombrex

Was looking over a few books I want to buy now that Christmas is over and I only got books I didn't want, and I came across the Onion's new annual "Homeland Insecurity" (with the front cover headline "FEMA: 'Run for your lives!'" ). Using the cool people who bought this bought this as well feature of Amazon I was browsing through all the new liberal political satire books out at the moment, such as Jon Stewards "AMERICA (The Book)"

It got me thinking why I like these books. The obvious answer is that it is just so much fun to pick on America, particulary the American government. The governments of the past 50 years have been brash stupid arrogant and deceteful (and that is the just Democrats).

But I started reading the Economist magazine (they call it a newspaper) each week about 6 months ago, which is very good at summary of foreign countries particulary government and business. And one thing that strikes you is that most countries (including Ireland) are full of governments and business leaders that are brash stupid arrogant and deceteful.

So why do we keep coming back to America. I don't actually believe that it is because they are particulary worse than any other bad government or arrogant country (the French for example). Is it because we like our old wiping horse? Are we just used to them and can't be bothered finding other things to give out about.

But an interesting conclusion hit me when browsing through Amazon. All the political and satrical "USA-Bashing" (as the country music loving middle america like to call it, not necessarily incorrectly) that I read and love comes from America

Jon Stewart is America. Michael Moore (though I've gone off him a bit) is America. The Onion is America. The Simpsons, the best satirical television show ever (till it got crap after session 7) is American home grown. South Park, some of the most free satire since anything is fair game, is American.

Thinking back of any of the funniest, wittiest, cleverest, most inventive works of satire I've seen produced in the last 20 years are not only about America, but come out of America. The majority of British and European attempts at political satire, even about an easy target like the USA, fall on their face. I loved 2DTV, but it wasn't exactly intelligent satire. I like Rorry Brenner (sp?) but often he can be too clever at the expense of the humour. Everything else tends to just be an angry guy ranting at the audience while claiming to be a "political comedy" If I wanted a non-intelligent unfunny rant about somethign I would just log onto Boards.ie and read the Politics forum. And don't get me started about Bull Island.

Is the reason people in Europe and the rest of the world stay so interested in bashing America because America is so good at producing funny clever witty inventive political satire? They really put the rest of the world to shame. And why are we so bad at doing the same?

- Mods, not sure if this should be here or in Politics, feel free to move is necessary -

Dades

Would it be true to say that it's cheaper to buy than produce? So because of the volume of the shows produced in the US there are plenty good enough to warrant showing in Europe.

Also home-grown satire is just less, well, glossy than the stuff dealing with the U S of A.
Just because one country has the biggest amount of targets for satire - doesn't mean it can't be the first in line to shoot them down.

That said the 'US Office' came nowhere near matching the brilliance of the original.

Sand

Its down to the huge cultural projection of the US. Its films, music, tv shows, etc, etc dominate the worlds modern culture. Every government is lousy, but the American criticism of their government gets beamed right around the world, whereas Irish criticism of Bertie....doesnt.

mike65

US satire will have to go along way to match Yes Minister, Spitting Image, The Thick of it, Chris Morris, Armando Ianucci, House of Cards (series 1) and a few more. Not to mention Scrap Saturday of course!

Mike.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

robert newman's british I think.. he kicks ass

Zombrex

mike65 wrote:

US satire will have to go along way to match Yes Minister, Spitting Image, The Thick of it, Chris Morris, Armando Ianucci, House of Cards (series 1) and a few more. Not to mention Scrap Saturday of course!

Mike.

I would disagree with that assessment. Spitting Image had some brilliant, clever, moments true, but if you actually watched it week in week out there was a lot of crap in there too. It would be lucky to be as clever or funny every few weeks as something like The Onion is every few days. Also half those shows aren't on anymore. We tend to look back with slightly rose tinted glasses at cancelled shows like Spitting Image and Yes Minister. Both were of course very good shows, but neither were up to the standard of something like "The Simpsons" in terms of consistent inventiveness and satire.

I suppose it could be argued that a large population base means that you will simply have more talent to draw on.

walrusgumble

in some ways dermott morgan made charles j haughey into a figure of fun, even he implied haughey was a rouge, what makes me laugh was we didnt really (although for justice ske we did) need all those expensive tribunals to know there was something dodgy about him.

dermott use to make tools out of bertie and paudraic flynn too. the phoenix paper is alos a good laugh to read

long live scrap saturday

Diogenes

Wicknight wrote:

I would disagree with that assessment. Spitting Image had some brilliant, clever, moments true, but if you actually watched it week in week out there was a lot of crap in there too. It would be lucky to be as clever or funny every few weeks as something like The Onion is every few days. Also half those shows aren't on anymore. We tend to look back with slightly rose tinted glasses at cancelled shows like Spitting Image and Yes Minister. Both were of course very good shows, but neither were up to the standard of something like "The Simpsons" in terms of consistent inventiveness and satire.

I suppose it could be argued that a large population base means that you will simply have more talent to draw on.

Plus far more liberal libel laws.

DadaKopf

Wicknight wrote:

I would disagree with that assessment. Spitting Image had some brilliant, clever, moments true, but if you actually watched it week in week out there was a lot of crap in there too. It would be lucky to be as clever or funny every few weeks as something like The Onion is every few days. Also half those shows aren't on anymore. We tend to look back with slightly rose tinted glasses at cancelled shows like Spitting Image and Yes Minister. Both were of course very good shows, but neither were up to the standard of something like "The Simpsons" in terms of consistent inventiveness and satire.

I suppose it could be argued that a large population base means that you will simply have more talent to draw on.

On the other hand, The Simpsons has been going downhill for a long time, but the franchise is worth so much that Fox won't cancel it. But somehow, South Park (perhaps because people still don't expect much from it) is getting better.

At least the UK comedies didn't go that route, so they'll remain fresh for decades to come because they deal with themes that are still current today. But apart from South Park, the Daily Show and and the Colbert Report (both of which are very patchy from week-to-week), I don't think US satire is a patch on British political satire.

You have to remember that most of these series, if not all, are written by one or two people. The Simpsons is written by committee. Big difference. And for a nation one-fifth the population of America, the UK has churned out some amazing political comedies that stand the test of time today.

Lemming

DadaKopf wrote:

On the other hand, The Simpsons has been going downhill for a long time, but the franchise is worth so much that Fox won't cancel it. But somehow, South Park (perhaps because people still don't expect much from it) is getting better.

Aren't the two guys that make south-park from Canada? :-/

You have to remember that most of these series, if not all, are written by one or two people. The Simpsons is written by committee. Big difference. And for a nation one-fifth the population of America, the UK has churned out some amazing political comedies that stand the test of time today.

"Bull Island" anyone? "Father Ted"?

Incidentally, I had the very bad misfortune to watch an episode of the US Office whilst stuck on a plane back to Dublin from Atlanta. It was very bad. I'll emphasis that '.' and comment that if the US Office is considered fine satire than either we as a society, or the person claiming this fine satirical status, are in deep, deep trouble.

Diogenes

Lemming wrote:

Aren't the two guys that make south-park from Canada? :-/

Nope, Littleton Colorado. Home of Alfred Packer only man in america to be convicted of canabalism. Star of their first film "Canabal, a muscial!"