SATIRE EXAMPLES
English 11AP
TEENAGE GIRL BLOSSOMING INTO
BEAUTIFUL OBJECT
 http://www.theonion.com/articles/teenage -girl-blossominginto-beautiful-object,31061/
 This article, published in The Onion, serves to comment on the
fact that as girls get older, due to the influence of the media,
they become seen more as objects and less as human beings.
The author supports the opposite of what he/she is trying to
prove but presents it in a ridiculous way that cannot be taken
seriously. By doing so, the author successfully sends a
message about his/her own personal beliefs about the
objectification of women.
FACEBOOK AND THE C.I.A.
 Facebook
ASSAULT RIFLE BEGINNING TO WORRY …
 http://www.theonion.com/articles/ar15 -assault-riflebeginning-to-worry -it-may -never,31080/
 This article is satirizing the controversy surrounding firearms
and semiautomatic rifles like the AR -15 by personifying an
AR-15 as a killer. The satire is clear through sentences such
as "At press time, the AR -15 was praying that the man in the
camo pants currently inspecting him from the other end of the
store counter had a history of mental illness."
SHARK ATTACK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2QalENIMxE&safety_mode=
true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
I found this video on The Onion. Its message is that in today's
society, tragic events such as a shark attacks are actually
considered "cool" when realistically, they are not cool at all.
Often times I see things like this on the internet, when people
post things like people getting seriously injured and people
thinking that it's hilarious.
UNITED, WE STAND
 This picture puts economic depressions into a somewhat
humorous subject because it says "united we stand" as people
wait on a long line for the unemployment of fice. "United we
stand" is a motto used for unifying states or nations and it's
ironic/humorous that this is applied to a negative situation.
OBAMA PARANOID GOVERNMENT
COMING FOR HIS GUNS
 http://www.theonion.com/articles/obama -paranoidgovernment-coming-for-his-guns,30638/
 This is a satirical article published by the onion. The article
depicts President Obama as a conservative activist for gun
rights. It is satirical because the President would never act
this way and it mocks those who are paranoid about the
government regulating gun laws.
YOLO
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Otla5157c
 This is a music video that is about the expression "YOLO." The
expression is meant to encourage people to try wild things that
they wouldn't usually do. In this video the expression's meaning
is changed into "You Oughta Look Out" in stead of "You Only Live
Once" and it goes into explaining how one should live if they
want to survive. All the tips are ridiculous and would in the end
probably make someone go crazy. The expression YOLO's
meaning is changed to mean its opposite.
HOMER SIMPSON VOTES 2012
 The Simpsons is very rich in humor, political jokes, and of
course satire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArC7XarwnWI
FEEL LIKE I’M FIXIN’ TO DIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBdeCxJmcAo&safety_mode
=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
The intended message was to satirically protest the war in
Vietnam. The song is written to protest the draft and U.S.
involvement in Vietnam, because the writer says, "What are
we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn, the next
stop is Vietnam." The intent of the song is to denounce the
government using irony and sarcasm.
THE DICTATOR
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS2lURW4JSI
 This is a clip from the movie, The Dictator.
 The clip and movie as a whole is clearly satirical because it
over exaggerates the absurd dictatorship of leaders in the
middle east and puts a comical spin on the aimless killing,
which takes place in areas ruled by leaders such as the one
portrayed in the film. An example of satire is found right in
the beginning of the clip when the Dictator claims in a PSA
that he is for free press, fair elections and equal rights for
women and can't even finish the sentence because he laughs,
showing he is clearly opposed to it (but in a way that is funny
to the viewer).
SNL: PALIN AND CLINTON
 http://www.hulu.com/watch/34465
 This skit depicts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey portraying Hilary
Clinton and Sarah Palin during the first campaign of Barak
Obama. This is an example of satire because it takes actual
things said by Sarah Palin, and presents them in an
unflattering and funny way.
SNL: TINA FEY AS SARAH PALIN
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE -OCDexYrU
 The intended message of this piece of satire is that John
McCain's vice presidential pick, Sarah Palin, was completely
unfit for the job. This SNL clip, a show known for its satire,
pokes fun at Palin’s unintelligent views on foreign policy.
GIRL YOU WISH YOU HADN’T STARTED A
CONVERSATION WITH…
 http://www.nbc.com/saturday -night-live/video/weekendupdate-girl-you-wish-you-hadnt-started-a-conversation-with-ata-party -christmas/n30774
 This clip from Saturday Night Live satirizes individuals who
pretend to care about, be involved with, and be
knowledgeable about dif ferent causes. Its message is that
these people oftentimes do not actually know what they are
talking about, even though they act as if they are above
everyone else.
2013 POLITICAL OSCARS
 T h e ex a m pl e o f s a t i r e I c h o s e
i s a p o l i t ic a l c a r to o n t h a t
u s e s r e f e r e nc e s to t h e O s c a r s
a n d c u r r e n t p o l i t i c al a n d
s o c i a l s i t ua t i o n s . Fo r
ex a m p le , i t g et s t h e m e s s a g e
of the dominance of social
n et w o r k s , i n t h i s c a s e
L i n ke d I n ( p l ay o n w o r ds o f
t h e O s c a r n o m i n a te d f i l m
" L i n c o l n ") , i n to d ay ' s s o c i et y
across by depicting Abraham
L i n c o l n o n a t a b l et d ev i c e . I t
also comments on the strong
d i v i s i o n b et w e e n Re p u b li c a n s
a n d D e m o cr a t s , t h e s h o o t i n g
a t S a n d y H o o k , t h e e c o n o my,
and the enthusiasm of Vice
P r e s i d en t J o e B i d e n , w h i l e
m a k i n g r e f e r e nc e s to m a ny
O s c a r n o m i n a te d f i l m s .
STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE
 The book Stuff White People Like describes, as the title says,
things that liberal white people like. This is satirical because
it pokes fun at and criticizes metropolitan white people for
being politically correct stereotypes who dilute themselves in
thinking their opinions are somehow unique.
BRITNEY SPEARS
 This example of
satire depicts a
couple watching the
television about
Britney Spears. The
woman exclaims
that Britney needs
to get a life, yet
ironically, the
woman is the one
who has been
watching her for
twelve hours. The
message of this
piece is to show how
people emphatically
enwrap themselves
in celebrity news.
BANKSY BILLBOARD
 This work by street artist,
Banksy, is in London on a
spot originally designated
for a billboard or
advertisement. It was done
during a time of a financial
crisis and is most likely
directed at London's elite.
This piece is commenting
on how much of the 'elite'
class is so consumed with
material possessions while
a majority of people are
struggling in their daily
lives and do not even
consider the luxuries on
billboards.
MR. SHOW: VALUE MAGAZINE
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v
=aF8wLg5Asgo
 This skit from Mr. Show has plenty of satire in it. It shows how
having money does not make you a great person. In the video
they express how money makes you a better person, so people
like Einstein and Van Gogh are not great people and did little
to nothing in life because they did not make a lot of money.
The skit is obviously making fun of this idea.
TAYLOR SWIFT
 http://www.theonion.com/video/taylor -swift-releases-new breakup-song-slamming-wi,31105/
 This is a link to a video created by "The Onion," making fun of
celebrity singer Taylor Swift and her short romances. Swift
has been known to have quick relationships with harsh,
abrupt endings, and then writing songs about her previous
boyfriends. This video touches upon her behavior.
THE DAILY SHOW
 Here is a video of satire from the Daily Show. This video
shows satire because Jon Stewart is making fun at how
ridiculous the gun debate is and this women's story is
ridiculous in how a scary gun will make you feel more safe
and secure. He also makes fun of President Obama by reading
from a fake Dr. Seuss book which says how the world doesn't
like President Obama. And finally the video shows an
interview with Jason Batmen where Jon Stewart makes fun of
actors in a satirical way.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZj_g -7lCbU
WII FIT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYBmAVuBns
I chose this video as an example of satire because of its clever
use of a fake commercial to point out all the flaws of a Wii fit.
The commercial mocks the device itself, by pointing out that
people exercise to the extent of swaying and stretching.
Furthermore, people are paying a ridiculous amount of money
for a box that will let them do what they can do easily alone.
The commercial specifically uses satire by drawing upon the
aspects of the real Wii commercial, such as an appeal to
parents. The commercial suggests that there is “family fun”
involved in watching someone else dodge an imaginary soccer
ball, which is clearly untrue. Despite its mocking commentary,
the commercial shows clips very similar to what the actual
commercial might show, to demonstrate just how ridiculous
this product is.
THE GREAT DICTATOR
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NtBnaarXfg
 This is a movie by Charlie Chaplin made during World War II to
criticize the Nazi regime in Germany at the time, directly
aimed at some of the doctrines emphasized by the Nazis by
showing their ridiculousness. The film also pokes fun at the
stupidity of pretty much all aspects of Hitler and Mussolini.
EASIER TO FIND A WAR
 http://raquelgfernandez.blogspot.com/2012/02/political cartoons.html
 This is a link to a political cartoon. A soldier says, "I figure it's
easier to find a war than a job these days". He is speaking to
a recent graduate. The message of this cartoon is that the
importance of education has gone down increasingly in the
past few years, in part due to the ongoing war and the
increase in unemployment. People think it is easier to just go
fight in the war than to find a job, because they believe that a
position in the war will last longer than any job that they may
find.