Satire must rank among the most misunderstood genres. So often, books and memes and shows that are merely snarky or rude are labeled as ‘satirical’. My guess is this is an attempt to make them seem clever, or less mean.
Good satire, says Carl Hiaasen, comes from anger. ‘It comes from a sense of injustice, that there are wrongs in the world that need to be fixed.’
Satire is also often confused with parody. While both are funny (or at least, are intended to be!) they are quite different in their aims.
Continue reading “Is Satire Mean? Parody, satire – and being rude!”