That “satire requires a clarity of purpose” meme thing is bogus you can make something so on the nose that it’s absolutely grating and people will still misunderstand it.
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also i thought we’d all realized by now that satire, while great fun to do and consume, has absolutely zero political impact at all. no one has ever been de-nazified via incisive bon mot
The complaint usually comes from someone who missed a reference and didn't know they weren't in on the joke because of it. NOT because the satire is unclear
It's like a legal standard: it requires clarity so no reasonable person could misconstrue. You also have to acknowledge that unreasonable people are pretty common.
I understand that saying that in response to those who are shit at / half-ass their satire or excuse their shit jokes as being "satire", but it doesn't consider that you could execute your satire well & it can still fail with audiences if they're that stubborn to not understand it.
It's probs a hot take that I think people overstate how powerful satire can be, but idk, I grew up with that AuADHD combo & I'm really side-eye anyone who uses the "satire" excuse to be a dick who jerks off about how smart & clever they are for noticing things.
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Like the underlying critique is correct but the execution leaves something to be desired.
But everyone is a critic, even & sometimes especially artists! 🤷♀️
and i get that it is possible to do satire so badly it can only be seen as supportive of what it's criticizing but the form has requirements!!!!!