Beer
Well-Known Member
Whatever it takes to write good satire, I don't have it. That was not satire.
Satire is the leverage of the powerless to create change. Well-done satire reverberates for centuries (Swift) and can even become standard textbook material (Twain). It's the socially acceptable way to puncture the augustness and reverence given to institutions, be they of the government, the majority religion, or the corporate world. It uses humor, or horror, to replace angry diatribes. It enlightens by inviting the reader in.
Of course, satire can be and usually is poorly done (see Sturgeon's Law), and I have no opinion on how good the satire of Charlie Hebdo has been. Satire always falls flat when directed at the ideas of the disenfranchised. If Charlie Hebdo has been directing it's derision at the Muslim citizens of France, it's probably been poor satire. However, just as having a dirty police officer, or even a racist police culture, does not demean the calling of police work generally, poorly done satire does not demean satire generally.
I love some good satire. Its just not heroic or worth dying for imo.