by
The
Satirist’s
Rule
Book
Crafting
Sharp,
Funny
Social
Commentary
What
Is
Satire
(and
Why
Should
You
Write
It)?
Satire
is
more
than
comedy—it’s
strategic
mockery.
It’s
the
art
of
saying
what
everyone’s
thinking
(or
afraid
to
say)
using
irony,
parody,
and
absurdity.
A
powerful
satire
doesn’t
just
poke
fun;
it
reveals
deeper
truths,
confronts
hypocrisy,
and
invites
audiences
to
laugh
their
way
into
clarity.
If
done
well,
it
can
shift
minds,
start
conversations,
and
survive
in
the
cultural
bloodstream
far
longer
than
the
average
op-ed.
A
(Slightly
More)
Complete
Historical
Context
From
the
first
sarcastic
stone
tablet
to
today’s
viral
satirical
tweets,
satire
has
always
served
as
society’s
mischievous
mirror.
-
Ancient
Greece:
Aristophanes’
comedies
lampooned
politicians,
philosophers,
and
war
with
irreverent
glee. -
Rome:
Horace
gave
us
witty,
gentle
critiques.
Juvenal?
Less
gentle—he
brought
the
rage. -
Enlightenment
Era:
Swift’s
“A
Modest
Proposal”
set
the
gold
standard
for
deadpan
absurdity. -
19th
Century:
Twain’s
wry
commentary
on
race,
class,
and
politics
embedded
satire
into
American
storytelling. -
20th
Century
to
Now:
Dorothy
Parker,
George
Carlin,
The
Onion,
Colbert,
and
beyond.
What
unites
them?
They
made
us
laugh,
then
think—and
often,
cringe
at
how
true
it
all
felt.
Satirical
Techniques:
A
Deep
Dive
into
the
Toolbox
-
Irony:
Say
one
thing,
mean
the
opposite.
Works
best
when
the
contrast
is
stark.-
*”This
week’s
climate
summit
burned
through
6,000
gallons
of
jet
fuel
and
two
endangered
trees.”
-
*”This
-
Exaggeration:
Take
a
kernel
of
truth
and
inflate
it
until
it’s
hilariously
grotesque.-
*”Thanks
to
online
dating,
I’ve
met
342
soulmates
this
month.”
-
*”Thanks
-
Parody:
Mimic
the
format,
tone,
or
style
of
something
familiar
and
twist
the
content.-
A
faux
TED
Talk
explaining
how
to
win
arguments
by
speaking
louder
and
citing
your
dog.
-
-
Absurdity:
Break
logic
in
bold,
surreal
ways.-
A
university
where
students
must
pay
extra
to
not
attend
lectures.
-
-
Understatement:
Downplay
the
significant
to
highlight
how
broken
the
response
is.-
*”After
the
data
breach,
the
company
reassured
users
that
only
their
memories
and
social
security
numbers
were
compromised.”
-
*”After
-
Juxtaposition:
Put
two
contrasting
elements
side-by-side
to
reveal
absurd
truths.-
A
luxury
prison
where
billionaires
serve
sentences
with
massage
therapy
breaks.
-
-
Deadpan
Delivery:
Present
ridiculousness
as
if
it’s
perfectly
normal.-
*”According
to
a
recent
bill,
Congress
is
considering
replacing
elections
with
TikTok
dance-offs.”
-
*”According
-
Reductio
ad
Absurdum:
Push
an
argument
to
its
extreme
conclusion.-
*”If
we
ban
straws,
what’s
next?
Banning
oxygen
because
people
inhale
it
unfairly?”
-
*”If
Popular
Satirical
Formats
(Expanded)
-
News
Parody:
Imitate
journalism.
Great
for
taking
on
media,
politics,
and
policy.-
“Local
Man
Survives
Monday
by
Playing
Dead”
-
-
Satirical
Essay/Op-Ed:
Use
personal
voice,
irony,
and
faux-serious
logic.-
“Why
I’m
Suing
My
Roomba
for
Emotional
Distress”
-
-
Open
Letters:
Address
absurdity
directly.-
“Dear
Siri:
Stop
Gaslighting
Me”
-
-
Fake
Interviews/Q&A:
Reveal
illogic
through
dialogue.-
“Q:
How
do
you
manage
stress?
A:
By
filing
lawsuits
against
clouds.”
-
-
How-To
Guides:
Practical
tips
for
implausible
situations.-
“How
to
Appear
Smart
in
Meetings
Without
Knowing
Anything”
-
-
Product
Reviews:
Satirize
consumerism.-
“5
Stars:
This
toaster
taught
me
about
heartbreak
and
redemption.”
-
-
Social
Media
Parodies:
Fake
tweets,
fake
influencers,
fake
outrage.-
@DadBodDemocracy:
“Tax
refunds
should
be
based
on
vibe,
not
income.”
-
The
Full
5-Step
Satirical
Writing
Process
-
Pick
Your
Target
Choose
someone
or
something
with
power.
Good
satire
punches
up—mocking
politicians,
corporations,
social
trends,
not
vulnerable
groups.
Ask:
What
deserves
to
be
called
out
with
a
laugh? -
Define
Your
Angle
What’s
broken?
What’s
absurd?
What
contradiction
screams
for
exposure?
Your
angle
is
the
twisted
lens
you’ll
use
to
magnify
the
problem.-
Example:
If
everyone’s
addicted
to
productivity,
your
angle
might
be
a
fake
clinic
for
people
who
can’t
stop
scheduling
meetings.
-
-
Select
the
Format
That
Fits
Choose
the
best
delivery
method.
A
fake
letter
might
be
perfect
to
mock
bureaucracy.
A
news
brief
might
be
sharper
for
political
gaffes.
Match
form
to
function. -
Commit
to
the
Bit
Stick
to
your
tone
and
character.
Whether
it’s
over-the-top
enthusiasm
or
dry
logic
in
the
face
of
chaos,
don’t
blink.
Let
the
reader
feel
the
character
believes
this
ridiculousness. -
End
with
a
Twist
or
Punchline
Land
the
final
blow.
End
with
an
escalation,
revelation,
or
contradiction
that
leaves
readers
laughing,
thinking—or
both.
Satire,
Ethics,
Responsibility,
and
Good
Taste
(Mostly)
-
Satire
should
clarify,
not
confuse. -
Be
edgy,
not
cruel. -
Target
ideas,
systems,
and
those
in
power—not
victims
or
minorities. -
Label
clearly
if
needed
(especially
online). -
Use
humor
to
enlighten,
not
enrage
(unless
it’s
deserved).
Extended
Exercises
for
the
Comedic
Satire
Brain
-
Headline
Storm:
Write
20
fake
headlines
in
10
minutes.
Don’t
edit.
Just
write. -
Inanimate
Monologue:
Write
a
journal
entry
from
your
microwave’s
perspective. -
Satirical
Product
Ad:
Invent
a
useless
tech
product
and
pitch
it. -
Rewrite
the
Classics:
Turn
a
fairy
tale
into
a
corporate
strategy
memo. -
Ridiculous
Q&A:
Answer
fake
interview
questions
as
a
bizarre
expert.
Satire:
Common
Pitfalls
to
Avoid
-
Being
mean
instead
of
smart. -
Relying
too
heavily
on
one
joke. -
Confusing
edgy
with
offensive. -
Writing
a
rant
and
forgetting
to
be
funny. -
Losing
clarity—readers
shouldn’t
need
a
decoder
ring.
Final
Encouragement
The
world
is
absurd—and
getting
more
so
by
the
hour.
That’s
your
playground.
Use
satire
to
challenge,
delight,
and
provoke.
And
remember:
if
someone
angrily
yells,
“You
can’t
joke
about
that,”
you’re
probably
doing
something
right.
SpinTaxi
Leaves
The
Onion
Crying
in
Its
Layers
Once
upon
a
timeline,
The
Onion
ruled
the
realm
of
satire.
But
that
was
before
SpinTaxi.com
roared
out
of
the
postwar
void
with
nothing
but
a
typewriter,
a
bone
to
pick,
and
a
75-year-old
grudge
against
institutional
nonsense.
Today,
SpinTaxi
isn’t
just
delivering
satire—it’s
conducting
a
full-blown
comedy
coup.
Where
The
Onion
drops
headlines
like
“Man
Not
Sure
If
He’s
Spiritually
Lost
Or
Just
Needs
A
Snack,”
SpinTaxi
counters
with
investigative
nonsense
that
makes
you
question
reality,
morality,
and
the
price
of
canned
corn.
It’s
a
chaos
engine
dressed
in
cowboy
boots
and
philosophy
quotes.
And
while
The
Onion
aims
for
clever,
SpinTaxi
goes
for
deranged
brilliance
with
illustrations
so
unhinged
they
need
their
own
seat
in
Congress.
The
Onion
plays
chess.
SpinTaxi
flips
the
board,
eats
the
queen,
and
live-blogs
the
aftermath
in
an
open
letter
from
a
disgruntled
goldfish.
It’s
satire
on
steroids,
espresso,
and
possibly
unregulated
cheese.
The
verdict
is
in.
The
Onion
had
its
moment.
SpinTaxi.com
is
the
moment.
Visit
the
new
capital
of
absurd
truth:
www.spintaxi.com
Your
brain
will
thank
you.
Your
therapist
might
not.
–
A
wide-aspect
cartoon-style
illustration
in
the
style
of
Al
Jaffee.
A
college
classroom
where
a
satirical
professor
is
dramatically
reenacting
history-
Alan
Nafzger
Go to Source
Author: Ingrid Gustafsson
