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Respectfully, this is barking entirely up the wrong tree.
Traditionally, the idea of satire was that it attacked the people with the power. It was a little moment of payback, when the people in charge had to take some jokes. https://twitter.com/Jonathan_K_Cook/status/1290267014485819392
Traditionally, the idea of satire was that it attacked the people with the power. It was a little moment of payback, when the people in charge had to take some jokes. https://twitter.com/Jonathan_K_Cook/status/1290267014485819392
In truth, satire rarely has had much of an effect, with a few notable exceptions. But the establishment fears it nonetheless. And so it muscled its way onto the stage.
In the UK, Johnson appeared on HIGNFY. In the US, Sarah Palin went on SNL.
It's really hard to properly savage people you're sharing a green room with, and the people in power knew that. Look! S/he can take a joke! Great stuff!
It's really hard to properly savage people you're sharing a green room with, and the people in power knew that. Look! S/he can take a joke! Great stuff!
...and what that led to was horrific. The satirical shows I've worked on have all talked about 'Balance'.
The line has been blurred between news and comedy. What is an admirable, and vital trait in news programming...
The line has been blurred between news and comedy. What is an admirable, and vital trait in news programming...
...has suddenly become a hobbling force in the world of satire. You're not allowed just to attack the people in power any more. Which is ABSURD. THEY ARE THE ONES WITH THE POWER.
No, for every Johnson joke, you have to have a Starmer joke. Even though he's got absolutely not a thing to do with the parlous state of our country, or, frankly, the fucking body count.
The slow, painful evisceration of the BBC, from left and right, has left it powerless to push back on this, so jolly well done to everyone attacking it, whichever side you're on. You've helped hugely. Thanks.
I have watched writers in rooms racking their brains to come up with some jokes about Corbyn or whoever, with no heart in it, solely in the name of balance. So that's why the jokes aren't even very good. None of it's about good jokes.
It's simply about trying to placate the marauding wolves who want to fuck over the BBC, to eliminate competition for Murdoch et al.
Sure, we can have a debate about the license fee at some point, and it's probably inevitable. But don't blame the comedians, the writers or the programmes for this. It's a bigger problem, and they're almost certainly as frustrated as you are.
PEOPLE WITH NO POWER ARE NOT FITTING TARGETS FOR JOKES.
