Do you "get" satire?
OK, so my first try at this post got lost when I .... skip it! Anyway, I explained how much I like satire and I joined a group on FB called “We Are Colbert Nation” thinking I would find more people who really “got” satire. Sadly, that was not the case. This week there was a posting that I found somewhat amusing, not ROFL funny but OK. It was in my mind however, clearly satire, meant to entertain. With luck it will show up in this post. What I found dismally sad was that even in a group who lists it’s “focus” as political satire and humor and satire in general, an amazing number of people posted the most ludicrous comments, indicating they absolutely DID NOT GET IT! Here are just a few of the comments that were posted in response, there were scores of them, sprinkled with the occasional “It’s a joke, guys” or “It’s satire!” so you may get my frustration.
< japan did not bomb pearl harbor in 1931!!!!!! can u people read or remember our history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! > < apparently, he has never heard of an aircraft carrier > < An aircraft carrier? That’s the least of this dopes worries. You would go east not all the way around the world west. And it was 41 not 31> < Troll, not funny, take it down.>
Now personally, I WOULD NOT join a group focused on religion (unless it was satire 
) or on rocket science as I would NOT get it but I would KNOW that I didn’t get it and stay out. These people however must in some way believe they grasp satire. While thinking about all this it occurred to me to wonder if non-religious people would be more inclined to get/appreciate satire. It seems to me that rejecting religion requires a different way of thinking, one that doesn’t accept magical premises and with heightened logical thinking skills. It made me wonder whether this would also give one a more finely tuned sense of humor and grasp of satire so I thought I’d just throw it out here and see if anyone else had thoughts on it. And if not, maybe you will enjoy the satire.
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i don geddit. 
Anyway, here's a real story about the AUS government and satire. This happened just Dec 2017.
The Juice Media YouTube channel releases "Honest Government Adverts". I recommend their adverts on the Dakota Access Pipeline, Trump's election, Net Neutrality, "Visit Hawaii" and "Visit Puerto Rico". But they also have Australian content. They're Australian, after all.
Recently, a front-bencher in the AUS government put forward legislation that suggests jail time for impersonating government agencies. Impersonating government agencies is a vile act indeed. Unfortunately, the legislation (i.e. its wording) is a direct response against satirical news - rather than legitimately against real government impostors/impersonators.
Anyway, The Juice Media's videos and, in particular, their use of the coat of arms, depicted in the image attached below, in their War On Satire video was put forward to parliament as a test case. Here is Question Time in which the Speaker of the House dismissing that coat of arms as anything more than satire (while George Brandis carries on defending stupidity). Of course, The Juice Media had to release a new advert warning their viewers not to fall for fake government ads.
(Side note: I find that those who rail against "PC" and against those who are easily offended are those who complain about satire.)
SamKerry
Level 7
Feb 19, 2018
0
OMGawd! After watching the video, I had to look further and found this. Amazing, at 1:00 this guy said EXACTLY what I was thinking. Then on watching the rest of his presentation, I decided, not only is he brilliant but he is also hilarious. He "GETS" satire! Sad to say, your Mr. Brandis is not so gifted.
Also aside: I find that those who identify as "conservative" and particularly if they worship certain types of "leaders" who I will not name but you clearly have some there as well, are less inclined to understand satire. They often persist in believing it is MEANT as "news" and of course they then have to immediately attach the worn out label of "FAKE NEWS" to it. THAT just annoys me! I have explained multiple times on comment threads, IT IS NOT FAKE NEWS! It is meant to entertain, "fake news" is intended to deceive, like when my 'elected' representative tells me he is representing my best interests. (OK, that was a just sarcasm there)
It is interesting to me when I discover things about myself that I consider normal are not necessarily shared by most/all people. Some 30 years ago, I "discovered" I had ADD/ADHD when attending a seminar on the subject. As the presenter described characteristics, including ability to filter out distraction, it was an epiphany. It had never occurred to me that everyone around me was not also constantly aware of everything going on around them.
More recently I "learned" the same thing about satire, that although I have always had an appreciation for satire (one of the first authors I really enjoyed was Aesop, one of the first identified satirists) there is a significant percentage of the population that CAN NOT grasp it. It is like an actual deficit in wiring, they can't "learn" to find the humor in it. I can explain it to them, they just don't think it's funny. Shortly after that, they will most likely get mad and tell me to piss off.
Well anyway, I've prattled on long enough for now. I do hope Mr. Brandis' bill was soundly defeated. I'd hate to think of AstrALIENS (or anyone)being jailed for exercising their funny bone.
@DotLewis Yeah, struck down for now, I think. But of course you mean George Brandis' bill. He, who proposed the bill, is of the conservative Liberal party - currently in power. Adam Brant of the video you linked is the leader of the Greens party - the third ranked party in parliament. (The second ranked party is the previously party for the blue-collar workers, the Labor party. I only label them "left-leaning" because they are left of the conservative Liberal party.)
And, yeah, that speech by Adam Brandt is full of satire. He's good. He's new. Notice his choice to use the word "trumpeting". Hahaha!
I did try to recommend other videos (particularly that one you linked to) but the post got "heavy" and incoherent with the videos overwhelming my post.
Here's their "Visit Hawaii" video. I'm not sure how the U.S. population views the annexation of Hawaii. But I was surprise to learn, from that video, that that's what it was: annexation. Unlike The Philippines and Puerto Rico, both acquired from Spain (I think), Hawaii was simply taken.
(I just watched it again. So good. Am gonna make a separate post about it.)
Indeed, I meant Brandis. That's what I get for thinking I could remember which name was which without looking back. Memory is not what it . . . ? So, the clip was fun. Although I was only vaguely aware of the history, obviously NOT something they focus on in AmHist class, I was in no way surprised by any of it. After all, it is "the American way". Things would have been completely different if the indigenous people had been less polite or maybe just felt less sympathy for the idiots who dumped out onto the eastern shore in 1620. I guess Australia has a bit of that history as well. Europeans! Christians!! Pretty much any place they (we) can overpower, we have every right to do so.
Enough of that, meanwhile here in the states, our house passed a bill to gut compliance "incentives" from the ADA. Of course they did it while everyone was busy concentrating on the latest mass shooting so it didn't get a lot of attention. To be seen what senate will do with it. This little "Drunk History" seemed appropriate for the occasion anyway. (edit: link won't pop up but you can copy/paste if you want to see it)
www.cc.com/video-clips/2p86bg/drunk-history-judy-heumann-fights-for-people-with-disabilities
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