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This growing sense of political cynicism rooted in the millennial generation can help to explain a shift in the norms of citizenship. Dalton points out in his work, The Good Citizen: How a Younger Generation Is Reshaping American Politics, that the Millennial generation is expounding the trend away from a more traditional definition of citizenship. What he refers to as a duty-based citizen primarily focuses on voting, serving in the military, obeying all laws and supporting the government. This is in contrast to the engaged citizen, who does not voter regularly, but is more inclined to participate in protests. (Dalton). A greater level of cynicism in Millennials would easily explain the negative effects, that being subpar voting numbers, as well as the positive effects, the greater likelihood of questioning the established process, both electorally and as it pertains to the news media. The effects of political satire are not entirely positive or negative. Viewers can grow cynical, leading them to be less likely to participate in the traditional …show more content…
Soft news does not have the same restraints as hard news; it is a type of media that thrives on uncomfortable topics and uses humor to push the boundaries of these topics to make the public more aware. With this candid attitude that citizens are quickly becoming more exposed to, it is not surprising that individuals everywhere are being more vocal about which issues concern them specifically, rather than which issues the media tells them to concern themselves with. There is nothing off-limits in the soft news world, and with its amusing and passive way of informing the public, it would surely continue to maintain itself throughout history, despite the efforts of those who try to hinder
...adults compared to older adults were less likely to respond that voting was extremely important for good citizenship (133). He concludes that it is too late for the generation of young adults that do not feel voting is an important civic responsibility, however, that it is not too late to convince them that politics matter by showing them that they are giving their opportunity to make important decisions that may impact their lives to others who have different ideas. One may agree with Wattenberg’s idea that habits follow people throughout their lives instead of changing as they cycle in life. His personal accounts are an impactful way to illustrate the importance of building a sense of duty at a young age and carrying that responsibility throughout one’s life.
Dalton begins by asking what a good citizen is. He doesn’t give an outright answer of what he thinks a good citizen is, but allows the reader to decide for themselves. Those in political and academic worlds contend that too few in the younger generation are voting and are the primary source of decline. They volunteer, but are disengaged from politics. Dalton disputes this by saying they may not be turning out to vote in high numbers, but are participating in other ways such as volunteering, demonstrating, and protesting, and calls these the new norms of citizenship.
For example, the comedy shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon expresses satirical humor concerning politics. His show also demonstrates political satire by telling jokes and even impersonating political figures for the audience. He creates humor through sarcasm that focuses on real issues. His sarcastic humor causes others to feel more confident in their criticism toward politicians. For example, “Jimmy Fallon expresses his humor about Donald Trump, impersonating his appearance and imitating his voice while talking about politics. He uses his humor by impersonating Donald Trump and his sweeping generalizations with Madea (Rogo).” Jimmy Fallon shows people his views through humor and it creates a sense of community to express their agreeable and disagreeable views. As we discussed some ideas about satirical humor that affects political changes, it was important to reveal their feelings about changes in life and drove them to look upon their society or government more
Political issues or matters concerning the well-being of mankind is not something new to us. Social and political hierarchies have existed for millennia, yet the ways in which people have voiced their concerns or opinions on sensitive topics related to these hierarchies have evolved over time. One way in which people have addressed important society matters has been through satire. Typically satirical writings are fueled by anger brought about by a political event or societal issue. Instead of voicing their anger directly to the people, Jonathan Swift and other satirical authors, have used satire as “the engine of anger, rather than the direct expression of anger” (Egendorf 40). In doing so,
It is our civic right and duty to actively participate in governmental affairs. This recent election really highlighted the divide in opinion regarding the importance of governmental participation. “To many, our democratic system seems so broken that they have simply lost faith that their participation could really matter,” West writes in his essay entitled The Deep Democratic Tradition in America. Young people feel unimportant and irrelevant, which explains the lack in turnout from young voters ages 18-29. However, it wasn’t just young voters that didn’t turnout. Millions of eligible voters didn’t show up for the 2016 elections. A democracy without active participants is a democracy bound for
In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air
According to Everything’s an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, “Humor has always played an important role in argument…” (38). Humor itself is something that activates amusement or laughter. Moreover, in popular culture satire is a tool that is used to point out things in our society. Satire opens the minds of people to philosophies they might completely deny, using humor. There are many elements of satire that identify flaws within our society. A couple of satire elements that will be discussed are irony and exaggeration. In addition, a parody is used in popular culture as a way to mock or mimic situation or person.
Satire is the most powerful democratical weapon in the arsenal of modern media. Sophia McClennen, the author of America According to Colbert: Satire as Public Pedagogy, describes it as the modern form of public pedagogy, as it helps to educate the masses about current issues (73). In fact, ”a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey in 2004 found that 61 percent of people under the age of thirty got some of their political 'news' from late-night comedy shows” (McClennen 73). This statistic shows how influential satirical shows such as The Colbert Report or South Park can be. Satire invites critical self introspection from us in a way that no other media can. It also acts as an unbiased mirror that reflects the mirror image of the flaws of our society. This beautiful process, when unhindered and uncensored, is the epitome of western freedom of speech, which is the single most significant right that deserves to be cherished and defended.
As we have more access to media, it seems that we forget how to process it and seek truth in the information we read. Perhaps the issue is in what the news is producing, as it could even be “fake news” or “alternative facts.” That’s where the issue with satire comes in; satire is made to point out a flaw, and it may not be the whole entire truth as that’s how satire truly works. As a population, sometimes there’s an ignorance where we don’t truly understand what we’re reading, but we accept it because there’s nothing else to counter that. Both news and satire comes in a prejudiced opinion, which affects the way we perceive it, and maybe even how we understand it, In which the 2016 Presidential Election plays into this unfamiliarity, people
Today, there are an immense number of ways for one to obtain information that makes up the news. Whether it is from television or the radio, news is transmitted daily for us to hear and see. The news consists of many different elements that come together to make up the programs we watch, listen to or read. Although not all of this can be classified as ?hard news,? the media enjoys broadcasting all sorts of events from celebrity and entertainment news to the wars being fought in a foreign country. Personally, I value ?hard news? to be information that makes up the daily news. For example, world political affairs or local events closer to home are items I would consider being news. Entert...
This genre of satire has often been used with subversive purpose where political speech is forbidden by a regime. Megan Hill explains that political satire does not carry a political agenda or seeks to influence the political process, but its unplanned use and its often destructive feature can lead to protest or dissent against the political process. Besides that, Dustin Griffin argues that satire attempts to make a balance between the fictional and the real so as to amuse and educate in more or less equal measure. He
Critics of this generation have some pretty negative things to say about the Millennials, which are being interpreted in a way that is casting a shadow on their future in politics. Joel Stein, writer for Time magazine, calls them “lazy, entitled, selfish, and shallow” and defends that claim with “the incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s now 65 or older” (Stein 28). Those critics then take that idea and assume that they will not get up and vote. They then take it even further and...
the TV). Contemporary literature has revealed that satirical shows hold a distinctive affiliation with their viewers and that they have substantial impact on viewers’ political insights and information about public activities. The political satirical shows highlights all the aspects of the story, they put light on the exclusive part of the story as well. These programs provide information in such a way that people tend to build their opinion, they may not solve the specific problem but their main purpose is to make people aware and attentive about the happenings around them. The term “Entertaining Politics” is used by Jones who describe new political television as the television which describes irony, satire, comedy, humorous remarks in the talkshows to discuss and analyse recent hot topics.it is an innovative technique used by media to create awareness, to inform public and help them to form their own opinion. This is a modern way through which every citizen can equally take part in politics. New Political Television has widened the way for citizens to develop their own thinking, to participate as well as to raise voice against vicious
Older people do not think young people care about improving the nation, and that they are more interested in updating their Twitter feed. While millennials are interested in keeping up with their social media accounts, they are also interested in politics. The problem is that millennials do not trust the government to help them anymore. Seventy-five percent of millennials donated to charity in 2011, and sixty-three percent volunteered in some way (Goudreau). Young people do not believe the government is a good way to perform their civic duties. They believe improving the world around them will make their lives better. A recent study found that millennials value transparency when it comes to politics (Handke). They want to be able to see where their money is going, and who/what it is helping. Millennials are not getting any sort of transparency with the current government. Every politician is backed by a huge corporation with only their own gain in mind. Millennials are no longer interested in playing a game with the government. They are less interested in a big vs small government, and are more interested in a better government
From the beginning days of the printing press to the always evolving internet of present day, the media has greatly evolved and changed over the years. No one can possibly overstate the influential power of the new media of television on the rest of the industry. Television continues to influence the media, which recently an era of comedic television shows that specialize in providing “fake news” has captivated. The groundbreaking The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and its spin-off The Colbert Report have successfully attracted the youth demographic and have become the new era’s leading political news source. By parodying news companies and satirizing the government, “fake news” has affected the media, the government, and its audience in such a way that Bill Moyers has claimed “you simply can’t understand American politics in the new millennium without The Daily Show,” that started it all (PBS).