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Amanda Roe, "W(h)ither Satire?"
Satire is a restless spirit which is able to inhabit almost any literary/cultural medium; satirical activity can enter into political protests, commentary, etc. as diverse as street theatre and independent media websites. There has been recent debate within literary circles regarding satire's efficacy as a political or moral watchdog: whether as art it can be expected to change anything or whether it might at most be an invitation simply to play with ideas about politics. Perhaps play is the operative word here: play is a rehearsal for life and satiric play gives us practice at doubt and uncertainty. Along the way we're getting practice at not being overawed by status and power. This was the sentiment behind Pope's view of satire's corrective purpose in an otherwise corrupt society. However, many commentators such as Australian cartoonist Bruce Petty believe that satire is now becoming limited by issue complexity: "We are it seems moving from Left-Right, government-intervention versus market issues into a huge interlocking periphery of ethical and technical issues: internet, genetics, gender, zero tolerance, hedging, derivatives, securitised debt instruments, and the mysterious Third Way. The subjects, the demons, the 'enemy', get more and more conceptual, beyond satirical vocabulary, beyond simplification". Coupled with the fact that satire seems to flourish in a secure and knowing society, we might say that it's never been harder for satirists to ply their trade. How can they simplify such messy concepts as for example, corporate globalism? The traditional way, say in Pope's time, would have been to rudely caricature the leading political figures who espouse the offending ideology but such practice today seems to be merely shooting the messenger. As Petty again observes, "We satirise politicians who have long ago thrown away the levers of control". This paper will examine the efficacy (aesthetic and political) of satiric practice in the context of current Australian political culture. How are our satirists responding to the twin challenges of both a complex new world order and the excruciating blandness of the present (federal) administration? A representative number of examples across different media--television, radio, the internet--will be discussed. Biography: Amanda Roe is a PhD student in the English, Media Studies and Art History Department at UQ. She completed an MA in Drama at Flinders University in South Australia on the topic of Australian comedy film. Her current research project is concerned with the changing nature of Australian political satire as it appears in mass media: radio, television, newspapers and the internet. |
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