U.S. politics often feels chaotic especially during election season. Whether it be misinformation campaigns, rallies and interviews with the media, everything they say is simply to convince people to vote for them. Political satire has been one of the best comedic expressions of the political American consciousness for centuries.
The chaotic nature of this presidential election makes it even more tense and important for many people. The Republican presidential nominee is former president Donald Trump. The Democratic nominee is current Vice President Kamala Harris. Both candidates seem to hate each other resulting in a culture war between the conservative right wing and the liberal centrist side of America. Whether it’s about healthcare, immigration, or military spending they both have their own dead set opinions. Americans are choosing who they are going to vote for, either with great passion, or simply having the decision of voting for the lesser evil in the situation. The entirety of Election season feels as if giving celebrity status to candidates who are supposed to represent the contrasting ways of life and culture but both function under many of the same ideals.
The election is simply a chaotic mess with the two most well funded and popular parties denouncing each other while promising a better future for their voting demographics. However, the chaos is what makes political satire amazing in the 21st century and especially in the last few months.
Saturday Night Live or SNL is one of the most popular forms of political satire. SNL is a comedy show that runs with live actors and sets every Saturday night. Out of a large amount of skits there are often political themes or messages with how the actors are portrayed or what setting they are perceived in.
Weekend Update, a segment of SNL hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che, two veterans at SNL who have been involved in the comedy industry for decades, focuses on covering the news, including politics. The segment is always very funny and entertaining to watch for a recap of what has happened in the world in the past week. Jost and Che unapologetically make jokes about political figures, countries and groups in a very smart yet funny way. SNL’s weekend update is one of the best forms of political satire that the United States has ever had.
There are many standout skits from recent SNL seasons that specifically poke fun at how Americans put so much of our energy into two people who are supposed to decide our future. Last Saturday on Oct. 19, Weekend Update made fun of Trump having a 40 minute Karaoke session at one of his rallies after several of his supporters fainted in the crowd, and the forced and over exaggerated way that Kamala Harris sometimes seems to talk in speeches.
Political satire captures the absurdity of American politics and politicians and expresses its chaotic nature in something palatable that can be easily understood. Take a break from stressing about politics and realize the absurdity of it all, laugh about it through political satire, one of the most important yet understated pieces of American comedy and culture.
