The Satirist’s Playbook – satire.info

The
Satirist’s
Playbook:
Crafting
Sharp,

Funny
Social
Commentary

What
Is
Satire?

Satire
is

humor
with
a
purpose.
It
exposes
stupidity,
hypocrisy,
or
injustice
through

wit,

irony,

exaggeration,
and
parody.
A
good
satirist
doesn’t
just
tell

jokes—they
shine
a
light
on
real
issues
using
humor
as
their
lens.

The
Legacy
of
Satire
(Briefly)

From

Aristophanes
in
ancient
Greece
to

Jonathan
Swift’s
biting
essays
and

Mark
Twain’s
playful
jabs
at
American
absurdity,
satire
has
always
been
a
tool
for
critiquing
power.
Today,
satire
thrives
in
media
like


The
Onion,

The

Daily
Show,
and
countless
blogs
and
social
feeds.

Satirical
Techniques:
Your

Comedy
Arsenal

1. 
   Irony
   –
   Saying
   the
   opposite
   of
   what
   you
   mean.
   
   E.g.,
   “Fantastic
   idea
   to
   build
   a
   stadium
   during
   a
   housing
   crisis.”
2. 
   Exaggeration/Hyperbole
   –
   Blowing
   issues
   out
   of
   proportion.
   
   E.g.,
   “My
   boss
   treats
   typos
   like
   war
   crimes.”
3. 
   Parody
   –
   Mimicking
   a
   style
   to
   mock
   it.
   
   E.g.,
   A
   fake
   academic
   paper
   proving
   cats
   are
   secretly
   in
   charge.
4. 
   Absurdity
   –
   Using
   surreal
   or
   bizarre
   situations
   to
   highlight
   reality.
   
   E.g.,
   A
   world
   where
   garbage
   men
   are
   treated
   like
   royalty
   while
   CEOs
   clean
   the
   streets.
5. 
   Understatement
   –
   Minimizing
   something
   extreme
   for
   effect.
   
   E.g.,
   “The
   hurricane
   lightly
   rearranged
   my
   entire
   life.”

Best
Formats
for
Satire

• 
  
  News
  Parody:
  Mimic
  news
  reports
  to
  skewer
  real
  events
  or
  behaviors.
• 
  Open
  Letters:
  Write
  to
  a
  concept,
  person,
  or
  inanimate
  object
  with
  biting
  wit.
• 
  Fake
  Interviews:
  Use
  Q&A
  to
  juxtapose
  
  logic
  with
  ridiculousness.
• 
  How-To
  Guides:
  Offer
  instructions
  for
  absurd
  things
  like
  surviving
  a
  family
  reunion.

How
to
Write
Satire
(In
3
Steps)

1. 
   Pick
   a
   Clear
   Target:
   What
   frustrates
   or
   fascinates
   you?
   Choose
   wisely.
   Satire
   works
   best
   when
   it
   punches
   up,
   not
   down.
2. 
   Find
   the
   Angle:
   What’s
   absurd
   or
   ironic
   about
   your
   target?
   Push
   it
   to
   extremes.
3. 
   Pick
   the
   Format
   and
   Write:
   Stay
   committed
   to
   tone
   and
   structure.
   Let
   the
   humor
   flow
   but
   keep
   your
   critique
   in
   sight.

Ethics
&
Pitfalls
(Combined)

• Punch
  up,
  not
  down.
• Don’t
  hide
  meanness
  in
  humor.
• Be
  clear
  enough
  that
  readers
  know
  it’s
  satire.
• Avoid
  repeating
  harmful
  stereotypes.
• Don’t
  sacrifice
  truth
  for
  shock.

Writing
Prompts
to
Get
You
Started

1. An
   open
   letter
   from
   your
   cat
   explaining
   why
   it
   ignores
   you.
2. A
   news
   story
   about
   Congress
   declaring
   naps
   mandatory.
3. A
   how-to
   guide
   for
   surviving
   a
   wedding
   where
   every
   guest
   is
   an
   influencer.

Closing
Thought
Satire
is
more
than

jokes—it’s
a
spotlight
on
the
world’s
nonsense.
Whether
you’re
mocking
the
mighty
or
revealing
the
ridiculous
in
daily
life,
always
aim
to
be
clever,
clear,
and
a
little
bit
courageous.

SpinTaxi.com
vs.
The
Onion:
The
Battle
for
Satirical
Supremacy

In
the
coliseum
of

comedy,
two
titans
clash:

SpinTaxi.com,
the
rebellious,
absurdist
stepchild
of
a
WWII
vet
turned
editor,
and

The
Onion,
the
reigning
prince
of
parody
news.
For
decades,
The
Onion
has
served
satire
in
a
perfectly
deadpan
wrapper.
But
lately,
SpinTaxi.com
has
been
handing
out
satirical
gut-punches
like
candy
at
a
clown
funeral—and
readers
are

loving
the
bruises.

While
The
Onion
sticks
to
its
well-worn
formula,
SpinTaxi
has
evolved
into
a
chaotic,
multi-format
beast.
It
mocks
everything
from
global
politics
to
banana
bread
inflation.
It’s
got
clickbait
with
punchlines,
faux-expert
op-eds,
and
even
fake
horoscopes
accurate
enough
to
scare
your
aunt.

And
let’s
face
it—The
Onion’s
biggest
punchlines
now
get
mistaken
for
real
news.
SpinTaxi
saw
that
and
said,
“Hold
my
goat
cheese
latte.”
With
Al
Jaffee-style
illustrations
and
satire
that
makes
you
laugh,
cry,
and
Google
obscure
amendments,
SpinTaxi
isn’t
just
winning
the
fight—it’s
redrawing
the

comedy
map.

Winner:
SpinTaxi.com.

Home
of
satire
that
hits
harder,
digs
deeper,
and
still
has
time
to
draw
moustaches
on
public
figures.
Visit:

www.spintaxi.com

The
Onion’s
still

funny.
SpinTaxi
just
eats
it
for
breakfast.

Go to Source
Author: Ingrid Gustafsson