Editing Satire (section)

==Development==

===Ancient Egypt===
[[File:Satirical papyrus.jpg|thumb|upright=2.25|The satirical papyrus at the British Museum]]
[[File:Cat guarding geese c1120 BC Egypt.jpg|thumb|[[Satirical ostraca|Satirical ostracon]] showing a cat guarding geese, {{Circa|1120 BC}}, Egypt]]
[[File:WLA brooklynmuseum Figured Ostracon Showing a Cat Waiting on a Mouse.jpg|thumb|Figured ostracon showing a cat waiting on a mouse, Egypt]]
One of the earliest examples of what might be called satire, [[The Satire of the Trades]],<ref>{{Citation | first = M | last = Lichtheim | title = Ancient Egyptian Literature | volume = I | year = 1973 | pages = 184–93}}</ref> is in Egyptian writing from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The text's apparent readers are students, tired of studying. It argues that their lot as scribes is not only useful, but far superior to that of the ordinary man. Scholars such as Helck<ref>{{Citation | first = W | last = Helck | title = Die Lehre des DwA-xtjj | publisher = Wiesbaden | year = 1970}}</ref> think that the context was meant to be serious.

The [[Papyrus Anastasi I]]<ref>{{Citation | first = Alan H | last = Gardiner | title = Egyptian Hieratic Texts | series= I: Literary Texts of the New Kingdom | volume = I | place = Leipzig | year = 1911}}</ref> (late 2nd millennium BC) contains a satirical letter which first praises the virtues of its recipient, but then mocks the reader's meagre knowledge and achievements.

===Ancient Greece===
The Greeks had no word for what later would be called "satire", although the terms cynicism and parody were used. Modern critics call the [[Greek comedy|Greek playwright]] [[Aristophanes]] one of the best known early satirists: his plays are known for their critical political and [[societal commentary]],<ref name="Sutton, D. F. 1993 p.56">{{Citation | last = Sutton | first = DF | title = Ancient Comedy: The War of the Generations | place = New York | year = 1993 | page = 56}}</ref> particularly for the [[political satire]] by which he criticized the powerful [[Cleon]] (as in ''[[The Knights]]''). He is also notable for the persecution he underwent.<ref name="Sutton, D. F. 1993 p.56" /><ref>{{Citation | chapter-url = http://www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/aristophanes003.html | chapter = Political and social satires of Aristophanes | editor-first = Alfred | editor-last = Bates | title = The Drama, Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization | volume = 2 | place = London | publisher = Historical Publishing | year = 1906 | pages = 55–59}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | first = JE | last = Atkinson | jstor = 639144 | title = Curbing the Comedians: Cleon versus Aristophanes and Syracosius' Decree | journal = The Classical Quarterly | series = New | volume = 42 | number = 1 | year = 1992 | pages = 56–64 | doi=10.1017/s0009838800042580 | s2cid = 170936469 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0714-06.htm | title = Aristophanes: the Michael Moore of his Day | first = John Louis | last = Anderson | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061019054115/http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0714-06.htm | archive-date = October 19, 2006 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Aristophanes' plays turned upon images of filth and disease.{{Sfn | Wilson | 2002 | p = 17}} His bawdy style was adopted by Greek dramatist-comedian [[Menander]]. His early play ''Drunkenness'' contains an attack on the politician [[Callimedon]].

The oldest form of satire still in use is the [[Menippean satire]] by [[Menippus|Menippus of Gadara]]. His own writings are lost. Examples from his admirers and imitators mix seriousness and mockery in dialogues and present parodies before a background of [[wikt:diatribe|diatribe]]. As in the case of Aristophanes plays, menippean satire turned upon images of filth and disease.{{Sfn | Wilson | 2002 | p = 17}}

===Ancient China===
Satire, or fengci (諷刺) the way it is called in Chinese, goes back at least to [[Confucius]], being mentioned in the [[Classic of Poetry|Book of Odes]] (Shijing 詩經). It meant "to criticize by means of an ode". In the pre-Qin era it was also common for schools of thought to clarify their views through the use of short explanatory anecdotes, also called yuyan (寓言), translated as "entrusted words". These yuyan usually were brimming with satirical content. The [[Daoist]] text [[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]] is the first to define this concept of Yuyan. During the Qin and Han dynasty, however, the concept of yuyan mostly died out through their heavy persecution of dissent and literary circles, especially by [[Qin Shi Huang]] and [[Han Wudi]].<ref>{{Citation | chapter = Magistrates, Doctors, and Monks: Satire in the Chinese Jestbook Xiaolin Guangji | first = Antonio | last = Leggieri | title = The Rhetoric of Topics and Forms | year = 2021 | pages = 369–380 | doi = 10.1515/9783110642032-029 | isbn = 9783110642032 | s2cid = 234214074 | df = mdy-all | doi-access = free }}</ref>

===Roman world===
The first Roman to discuss satire critically was [[Quintilian]], who invented the term to describe the writings of [[Gaius Lucilius]]. The two most prominent and influential ancient Roman satirists are [[Horace]] and [[Satires of Juvenal|Juvenal]], who wrote during the early days of the [[Roman Empire]]. Other important satirists in ancient [[Latin]] are Gaius Lucilius and [[Persius]]. ''Satire'' in their work is much wider than in the modern sense of the word, including fantastic and highly coloured humorous writing with little or no real mocking intent. When Horace criticized [[Augustus]], he used [[veil]]ed ironic terms. In contrast, [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] reports that the 6th-century-BC poet [[Hipponax]] wrote ''satirae'' that were so cruel that the offended hanged themselves.<ref>{{Citation | last = Cuddon | title = Dictionary of Literary Terms | place = Oxford | year = 1998 | contribution = Satire}}</ref>

In the 2nd century AD, [[Lucian]] wrote ''[[True History]]'', a book satirizing the clearly unrealistic travelogues/adventures written by [[Ctesias]], [[Iambulus]], and [[Homer]]. He states that he was surprised they expected people to believe their lies, and stating that he, like them, has no actual knowledge or experience, but shall now tell lies as if he did. He goes on to describe a far more obviously extreme and unrealistic tale, involving interplanetary exploration, war among alien life forms, and life inside a 200 mile long whale back in the terrestrial ocean, all intended to make obvious the fallacies of books like ''[[Indica (Ctesias)|Indica]]'' and ''[[The Odyssey]]''.

===Medieval Islamic world===
{{main|Arabic literature#Satire and comedy|Persian satire|l1=Arabic satire}}

Medieval [[Arabic poetry]] included the satiric genre ''hija''. Satire was introduced into [[Arabic literature|Arabic prose literature]] by the author [[Al-Jahiz]] in the 9th century. While dealing with serious topics in what are now known as [[anthropology]], [[Sociology in medieval Islam|sociology]] and [[Psychology in medieval Islam|psychology]], he introduced a satirical approach, "based on the premise that, however serious the subject under review, it could be made more interesting and thus achieve greater effect, if only one leavened the lump of solemnity by the insertion of a few amusing anecdotes or by the throwing out of some witty or paradoxical observations. He was well aware that, in treating of new themes in his prose works, he would have to employ a vocabulary of a nature more familiar in ''hija'', satirical poetry."{{Sfn | Bosworth| 1976| p = 32}} For example, in one of his [[Zoology|zoological]] works, he satirized the preference for longer [[human penis size]], writing: "If the length of the penis were a sign of honor, then the [[mule]] would belong to the (honorable tribe of) [[Quraysh (tribe)|Quraysh]]". Another satirical story based on this preference was an ''[[One Thousand and One Nights|Arabian Nights]]'' tale called "Ali with the Large Member".<ref>{{Cite book| title = The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia | first1 = Ulrich | last1 = Marzolph | first2 = Richard | last2 = van Leeuwen| first3 = Hassan | last3 = Wassouf | publisher = ABC-CLIO| year = 2004 | isbn= 1-57607-204-5|pages=97–8}}</ref>

In the 10th century, the writer [[Tha'alibi]] recorded satirical poetry written by the Arabic poets As-Salami and Abu Dulaf, with As-Salami praising Abu Dulaf's [[Polymath|wide breadth of knowledge]] and then mocking his ability in all these subjects, and with Abu Dulaf responding back and satirizing As-Salami in return.{{Sfn | Bosworth| 1976| pp = 77–8}} An example of Arabic political satire included another 10th-century poet Jarir satirizing Farazdaq as "a transgressor of the [[Sharia]]" and later Arabic poets in turn using the term "Farazdaq-like" as a form of political satire.{{Sfn | Bosworth| 1976| p = 70}}

The terms "[[comedy]]" and "satire" became synonymous after [[Aristotle]]'s ''[[Poetics (Aristotle)|Poetics]]'' was translated into [[Arabic language|Arabic]] in the [[Islamic Golden Age|medieval Islamic world]], where it was elaborated upon by [[Early Islamic philosophy|Islamic philosophers]] and writers, such as Abu Bischr, his pupil [[Al-Farabi]], [[Avicenna]], and [[Averroes]]. Due to cultural differences, they disassociated comedy from [[Greek drama]]tic representation and instead identified it with [[Arabic poetry|Arabic poetic]] themes and forms, such as ''hija'' (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply the "art of reprehension", and made no reference to light and cheerful events, or troubled beginnings and happy endings, associated with classical Greek comedy. After the [[Latin translations of the 12th century]], the term "comedy" thus gained a new semantic meaning in [[Medieval literature]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Comedy as Satire in Hispano-Arabic Spain |first=Edwin J |last=Webber|journal=Hispanic Review|volume=26|issue=1|date=January 1958|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|pages=1–11|doi=10.2307/470561| jstor=470561}}</ref>

[[Ubayd Zakani]] introduced satire in [[Persian literature]] during the 14th century. His work is noted for its satire and obscene verses, often political or bawdy, and often cited in debates involving [[homosexual]] practices. He wrote the ''Resaleh-ye Delgosha'', as well as ''Akhlaq al-Ashraf'' ("Ethics of the Aristocracy") and the famous humorous fable ''Masnavi Mush-O-Gorbeh'' (Mouse and Cat), which was a political satire. His non-satirical serious classical verses have also been regarded as very well written, in league with the other great works of [[Persian literature]]. Between 1905 and 1911, [[Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi]] and other Iranian writers wrote notable satires.

===Medieval Europe===
[[File:The Reeve - Ellesmere Chaucer.jpg|right|thumb|"[[The Reeve's Tale]]", the third story in [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'', contains the first appearance in English literature of a common humorous device across all forms of media, the comedic use of [[dialect]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=Joseph |title=Chaucer's Uncanny Regionalism: Rereading the North in The Reeve's Tale |journal=The Journal of English and Germanic Philology |date=October 2010 |volume=109 |issue=4 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |pages=468–489 |doi=10.5406/jenglgermphil.109.4.0468 |jstor=10.5406/jenglgermphil.109.4.0468 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/jenglgermphil.109.4.0468}}</ref>]]
In the [[Early Middle Ages]], examples of satire were the songs by [[Goliard]]s or [[Clerici vagantes|vagant]]s now best known as an anthology called [[Carmina Burana]] and made famous as texts of a composition by the 20th-century composer [[Carl Orff]]. Satirical poetry is believed to have been popular, although little has survived. With the advent of the [[High Middle Ages]] and the birth of modern [[vernacular literature]] in the 12th century, it began to be used again, most notably by [[Chaucer]]. The disrespectful manner was considered "unchristian" and ignored, except for the '''moral satire''', which mocked misbehaviour in Christian terms. Examples are ''Livre des Manières'' by {{interlanguage link|Étienne de Fougères|fr}} (~1178), and some of Chaucer's ''[[Canterbury Tales]]''. Sometimes [[Epic poetry|epic poetry (epos)]] was mocked, and even feudal society, but there was hardly a general interest in the genre.

In the [[High Middle Ages]] the work [[Reynard the Fox]], written by Willem die Madoc maecte, and its translations were a popular work that satirized the class system at the time. Representing the various classes as certain anthropomorphic animals. As example, the lion in the story represents the nobility, which is portrayed as being weak and without character, but very greedy. Versions of Reynard the Fox were also popular well into the early modern period. The Dutch translation [[Van den vos Reynaerde]] is considered a major medieval Dutch literary work. In the Dutch version De Vries argues that the animal characters represent barons who conspired against the Count of Flanders.<ref>André De Vries, ''Flanders: A Cultural History'', Oxford University Press, New York, 2007, p.100-101.</ref>

===Early modern western satire===
[[File:Притча о слепых.jpeg|right|thumb|[[Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Pieter Bruegel]]'s 1568 satirical painting ''[[The Blind Leading the Blind]]'']]
Direct [[social commentary]] via satire returned in the 16th century, when texts such as the works of [[François Rabelais]] tackled more serious issues.

Two major satirists of Europe in the [[Renaissance]] were [[Giovanni Boccaccio]] and [[François Rabelais]]. Other examples of Renaissance satire include ''[[Till Eulenspiegel]]'', ''[[Reynard the Fox]]'', [[Sebastian Brant]]'s ''[[Ship of Fools (satire)|Narrenschiff]]'' (1494), [[Erasmus]]'s ''[[Moriae Encomium]]'' (1509), [[Thomas More]]'s ''[[Utopia (More book)|Utopia]]'' (1516), and ''[[Carajicomedia]]'' (1519).

The [[Elizabethan]] (i.e. 16th-century English) writers thought of satire as related to the notoriously rude, coarse and sharp satyr play. Elizabethan "satire" (typically in pamphlet form) therefore contains more straightforward abuse than subtle irony. The French [[Huguenot]] [[Isaac Casaubon]] pointed out in 1605 that satire in the Roman fashion was something altogether more civilised. Casaubon discovered and published Quintilian's writing and presented the original meaning of the term (satira, not satyr), and the sense of wittiness (reflecting the "dishfull of fruits") became more important again. Seventeenth-century English satire once again aimed at the "amendment of vices" ([[Dryden]]).

In the 1590s a new wave of verse satire broke with the publication of [[Joseph Hall (bishop)|Hall]]'s ''Virgidemiarum'', six books of verse satires targeting everything from literary fads to corrupt noblemen. Although [[John Donne|Donne]] had already circulated satires in manuscript, Hall's was the first real attempt in English at verse satire on the Juvenalian model.{{Sfn | Hall | 1969 | ps =: 'Hall's ''Virgidemiae'' was a new departure in that the true Juvenalian mode of satire was being attempted for the first time, and successfully, in English.'}}{{Rp| needed = yes|date=October 2012}} The success of his work combined with a national mood of disillusion in the last years of Elizabeth's reign triggered an avalanche of satire—much of it less conscious of classical models than Hall's — until the fashion was brought to an abrupt stop by censorship.{{NoteTag|The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, the censors of the press, issued Orders to the Stationers' Company on June 1 and 4, 1599, prohibiting the further printing of satires—the so-called 'Bishop's Ban'.{{Sfn | Davenport | 1969}}{{Rp|needed = yes|date=October 2012}}}}

Another satiric genre to emerge around this time was the satirical [[almanac]], with [[François Rabelais]]'s work ''Pantagrueline Prognostication'' (1532), which mocked astrological predictions. The strategies François utilized within this work were employed by later satirical almanacs, such as the ''Poor Robin'' series that spanned the 17th to 19th centuries.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Palmeri|first=Frank|title=Satire, history, novel: Narrative forms, 1665–1815|publisher=University of Delaware Press|year=2003|isbn=978-1-61149-232-3|pages=47–49}}</ref>

=== Ancient and modern India ===
Satire (''Kataksh'' or ''Vyang'') has played a prominent role in [[Indian literature|Indian]] and [[Hindi literature]], and is counted as one of the "[[Rasa (aesthetics)|ras]]" of literature in ancient books.<ref>{{cite web |title = हास्य व्यंग्य कविता हिन्दी में Hasya Vyangya Kavita In Hindi funny poetry |url = https://suvicharhindi.com/hasya-vyangya-kavita-hindi/ |website = suvicharhindi.com |date = November 4, 2016 |access-date = April 19, 2019 |author1 = Abhiii |archive-date = April 19, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190419053134/https://suvicharhindi.com/hasya-vyangya-kavita-hindi/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> With the commencement of printing of books in local language in the nineteenth century and especially after India's freedom, this grew.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pritam |first=Sarojani |title=51 Shresth Vyang Rachnayen |publisher=Diamond pocket books}}</ref> Many of the works of [[Tulsi Das]], [[Kabir]], [[Munshi Premchand]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Premchand |first1=Munshi |last2=Gopal |first2=Madan |title=My Life and Times |publisher=Roli Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Premchand |first1=Munshi |title=Premchand Ki Amar Kahaniyan}}</ref> village minstrels, [[Harikatha|Hari katha]] singers, poets, Dalit singers and current day stand up Indian comedians incorporate satire, usually ridiculing authoritarians, fundamentalists and incompetent people in power.<ref name="modisong">{{cite web |last1=Shankarji |title=The Modi song |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh3mlMAkXrE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/sh3mlMAkXrE| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|website=Rough cut productions |date=February 24, 2019 |publisher=Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan |access-date=April 16, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author-first1=Suprateek|author-last1=Chatterjee|title=Kunal Kamra: The accidental revolutionary |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/C39AsWWaic7qvGsONZNCnJ/Kunal-Kamra-The-accidental-revolutionary.html |access-date=April 16, 2019 |newspaper=Live Mint |date=March 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gujarat Varsity Cancels Show by 'Anti-National' Comedian Kunal Kamra After Alumni Complaint |url=https://thewire.in/humour/kunal-kamra |access-date=April 16, 2019 |publisher=The Wire}}</ref> In India, it has usually been used as a means of expression and an outlet for common people to express their anger against authoritarian entities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tyagi |first1=Ravindranath |title=Urdu Hindi Hashya Vyang |publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan}}</ref>

===Age of Enlightenment===
[[File:A Welch wedding. Satire c.1780.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|'A Welch wedding' satirical cartoon {{Circa|1780}}]]

The [[Age of Enlightenment]], an intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries advocating rationality, produced a great revival of satire in Britain. This was fuelled by the rise of partisan politics, with the formalisation of the [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]] and [[British Whig Party|Whig]] parties—and also, in 1714, by the formation of the [[Scriblerus Club]], which included [[Alexander Pope]], [[Jonathan Swift]], [[John Gay]], [[John Arbuthnot]], [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer|Robert Harley]], [[Thomas Parnell]], and [[Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke]]. This club included several of the notable satirists of early-18th-century Britain. They focused their attention on Martinus Scriblerus, "an invented learned fool... whose work they attributed all that was tedious, narrow-minded, and pedantic in contemporary scholarship".<ref>{{Citation | title = The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century | volume = 3 | page = 435}}</ref> In their hands astute and biting satire of institutions and individuals became a popular weapon. The turn to the 18th century was characterized by a switch from Horatian, soft, pseudo-satire, to biting "juvenal" satire.<ref name="Weinbrot2007p136">Weinbrot, Howard D. (2007) ''Eighteenth-Century Satire: Essays on Text and Context from Dryden to Peter...'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=vHADZOHbJ2QC&pg=PA136 p.136]</ref>

[[Jonathan Swift]] was one of the greatest of Anglo-Irish satirists, and one of the first to practise modern journalistic satire. For instance, In his ''[[A Modest Proposal]]'' Swift suggests that Irish peasants be encouraged to sell their own children as food for the rich, as a solution to the "problem" of poverty. His purpose is of course to attack indifference to the plight of the desperately poor. In his book ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'' he writes about the flaws in human society in general and English society in particular. [[John Dryden]] wrote an influential essay entitled "A Discourse Concerning the Original and Progress of Satire"<ref>{{Citation | url = http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/drydendiscourse2.html | editor-first = Jack | editor-last = Lynch | publisher = Rutgers | last = Dryden | first = John | title = Discourse | number = 2}}</ref> that helped fix the definition of satire in the literary world. His satirical ''[[Mac Flecknoe]]'' was written in response to a rivalry with [[Thomas Shadwell]] and eventually inspired [[Alexander Pope]] to write his satirical ''[[Dunciad]]''.
 
[[Alexander Pope]] (b. May 21, 1688) was a satirist known for his Horatian satirist style and translation of the ''[[Iliad]]''. Famous throughout and after the [[Long eighteenth century|long 18th century]], Pope died in 1744.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-pope-9444371#synopsis|title=Biography of Alexander Pope § Synopsis|work=Biography.com|access-date=December 10, 2015|archive-date=December 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218092153/http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-pope-9444371#synopsis|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pope, in his ''The Rape of the Lock'', is delicately chiding society in a sly but polished voice by holding up a mirror to the follies and vanities of the upper class. Pope does not actively attack the self-important pomp of the British aristocracy, but rather presents it in such a way that gives the reader a new perspective from which to easily view the actions in the story as foolish and ridiculous. A mockery of the upper class, more delicate and lyrical than brutal, Pope nonetheless is able to effectively illuminate the moral degradation of society to the public. ''The Rape of the Lock'' assimilates the masterful qualities of a heroic epic, such as the ''Iliad'', which Pope was translating at the time of writing ''The Rape of the Lock''. However, Pope applied these qualities satirically to a seemingly petty egotistical elitist quarrel to prove his point wryly.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/545/satire-in-18th-century-british-society-alexander-popes-the-rape-of-the-lock-and-jonathan-swifts-a-modest-proposal|title=Satire in 18th Century British Society: Alexander Pope's ''The Rape of the Lock'' and Jonathan Swift's ''A Modest Proposal''|year=2011|journal=Student Pulse |volume=3|issue=6|author=Jonathan J. Szwec}}</ref>
Other satirical works by Pope include the ''[[Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot]]''.

[[Daniel Defoe]] pursued a more journalistic type of satire, being famous for his ''[[The True-Born Englishman]]'' which mocks [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]] patriotism, and ''[[The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters]]''—advocating [[religious toleration]] by means of an ironical exaggeration of the highly intolerant attitudes of his time.

The pictorial satire of [[William Hogarth]] is a precursor to the development of [[political cartoons]] in 18th-century England.<ref name="Press">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwzWAAAAMAAJ|title=The Political Cartoon|author=Charles Press|year=1981|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|page=34|isbn=9780838619018}}</ref> The medium developed under the direction of its greatest exponent, [[James Gillray]] from London.<ref name="Guardian"/> With his satirical works calling the king (George III), prime ministers and generals (especially Napoleon) to account, Gillray's wit and keen sense of the ridiculous made him the pre-eminent [[cartoonist]] of the era.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|title=Satire, sewers and statesmen: why James Gillray was king of the cartoon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/mar/21/satire-sewers-and-statesmen-james-gillray-king-of-cartoon|agency=The Guardian|date=June 18, 2015}}</ref>

[[Ebenezer Cooke (poet)|Ebenezer Cooke]] (1665–1732), author of "The Sot-Weed Factor" (1708), was among the first writers of literary satire in [[Colonial America]]. [[Benjamin Franklin]] (1706–1790) and others followed, using satire to shape an emerging nation's culture through its sense of the ridiculous.

===Satire in Victorian England===
[[File:DV257 no.19 The donkey race.png|thumb|A Victorian satirical sketch depicting a gentleman's donkey race in 1852]]
Several satiric papers competed for the public's attention in the [[Victorian era]] (1837–1901) and [[Edwardian]] period, such as ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' (1841) and ''[[Fun (magazine)|Fun]]'' (1861).

Perhaps the most enduring examples of Victorian satire, however, are to be found in the [[Savoy Opera]]s of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]. In fact, in ''[[The Yeomen of the Guard]]'', a jester is given lines that paint a very neat picture of the method and purpose of the satirist, and might almost be taken as a statement of Gilbert's own intent:
:''"I can set a braggart quailing with a quip,''
:''The upstart I can wither with a whim;''
:''He may wear a merry laugh upon his lip,''
:''But his laughter has an echo that is grim!"''

Novelists such as [[Charles Dickens]] (1812–1870) often used passages of satiric writing in their treatment of social issues.

Continuing the tradition of Swiftian journalistic satire, [[Sidney Godolphin Osborne]] (1808–1889) was the most prominent writer of scathing "Letters to the Editor" of the London ''[[The Times|Times]]''. Famous in his day, he is now all but forgotten. His maternal grandfather [[William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland]] was considered to be a possible candidate for the authorship of the [[Junius (writer)|Junius]] letters. Osborne's satire was so bitter and biting that at one point he received a public censure from [[Parliament]]'s then Home Secretary Sir [[James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose|James Graham]]. Osborne wrote mostly in the Juvenalian mode over a wide range of topics mostly centered on British government's and landlords' mistreatment of poor farm workers and field laborers. He bitterly opposed the [[New Poor Laws]] and was passionate on the subject of the British government's botched response to the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Irish Famine]] and the mistreatment of [[British Army|British soldiers]] during the [[Crimean War]].

A number of works of fiction during this time, influenced by [[Ancient Egypt in the Western imagination|Egyptomania]],<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Brio|first=Sara|date=2018|title=The Shocking Truth: Science, Religion, and Ancient Egypt in Early Nineteenth-Century Fiction|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08905495.2018.1484608 |journal=Nineteenth-Century Contexts|volume=40|issue=4|pages=331–344|doi=10.1080/08905495.2018.1484608 |s2cid=194827445|via=Taylor and Francis Online}}</ref> used the backdrop of Ancient Egypt as a device for satire. Some works, like [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''[[Some Words with a Mummy]]'' (1845) and [[Grant Allen]]'s ''My New Year's Eve Among the Mummies'' (1878), portrayed Egyptian civilization as having already achieved many of the Victorian era's advancements (like the [[steam engine]] and [[gaslamp]]s) in an effort to satire the notion of progress.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dobson|first=Eleanor |title=Gods and Ghost-Light: Ancient Egypt, Electricity, and X-Rays|date=2017|journal=Victorian Literature and Culture|volume=45|issue=1|pages=121 |doi=10.1017/S1060150316000462|s2cid=165064168|doi-access=free}}</ref> Other works, like [[Jane Loudon|Jane Loudon's]] ''[[The Mummy!: Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century]]'', satirized Victorian curiosities with the afterlife.<ref name=":02" />

Later in the nineteenth century, in the United States, [[Mark Twain]] (1835–1910) grew to become American's greatest satirist: his novel ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|Huckleberry Finn]]'' (1884) is set in the [[Antebellum era|antebellum]] South, where the moral values Twain wishes to promote are completely turned on their heads. His hero, Huck, is a rather simple but goodhearted lad who is ashamed of the "sinful temptation" that leads him to help a [[Fugitive slaves in the United States|fugitive slave]]. In fact his conscience, warped by the distorted moral world he has grown up in, often bothers him most when he is at his best. He is prepared to do good, believing it to be wrong.

Twain's younger contemporary [[Ambrose Bierce]] (1842–1913) gained notoriety as a [[Cynicism (contemporary)|cynic]], pessimist and black humorist with his dark, bitterly ironic stories, many set during the [[American Civil War]], which satirized the limitations of human perception and reason. Bierce's most famous work of satire is probably ''[[The Devil's Dictionary]]'' (1906), in which the definitions mock cant, [[hypocrisy]] and [[Appeal to tradition|received wisdom]].

===20th-century satire===
[[Karl Kraus (writer)|Karl Kraus]] is considered the first major European satirist since [[Jonathan Swift]].<ref name="Knight2004p254">Knight, Charles A. (2004) ''Literature of Satire'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=SOfVePSFctgC&pg=PA254 p.254]</ref> In 20th-century literature, satire was used by English authors such as [[Aldous Huxley]] (1930s) and [[George Orwell]] (1940s), which under the inspiration of [[Yevgeny Zamyatin|Zamyatin]]'s Russian 1921 novel ''[[We (novel)|We]]'', made serious and even frightening commentaries on the dangers of the sweeping social changes taking place throughout Europe. [[Anatoly Lunacharsky]] wrote 'Satire attains its greatest significance when a newly evolving class creates an ideology considerably more advanced than that of the ruling class, but has not yet developed to the point where it can conquer it. Herein lies its truly great ability to triumph, its scorn for its adversary and its hidden fear of it. Herein lies its venom, its amazing energy of hate, and quite frequently, its grief, like a black frame around glittering images. Herein lie its contradictions, and its power.'<ref>[[David King (graphic designer)|David King]] & Cathy Porter 'Blood & Laughter: Caricatures from the 1905 Revolution' Jonathan Cape 1983 p.31</ref> Many social critics of this same time in the United States, such as [[Dorothy Parker]] and [[H. L. Mencken]], used satire as their main weapon, and Mencken in particular is noted for having said that "one horse-laugh is worth ten thousand [[syllogism]]s" in the persuasion of the public to accept a criticism. Novelist [[Sinclair Lewis]] was known for his satirical stories such as ''[[Main Street (novel)|Main Street]]'' (1920), ''[[Babbitt (novel)|Babbitt]]'' (1922), ''[[Elmer Gantry]]'' (1927; dedicated by Lewis to H. L. Mencken), and ''[[It Can't Happen Here]]'' (1935), and his books often explored and satirized contemporary American values. The film ''[[The Great Dictator]]'' (1940) by [[Charlie Chaplin]] is itself a parody of [[Adolf Hitler]]; Chaplin later declared that he would have not made the film if he had known about the [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]].<ref name="ChaplinLager">Chaplin (1964) ''My Autobiography'', p.392, quotation: {{blockquote|Had I known of the actual horrors of the German concentration camps, I could not have made ''The Great Dictator'', I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity of the Nazis.}}</ref>

Modern [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] satire was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s. This form of satire is recognized by its level of sophistication and intelligence used, along with its own level of parody. Since there is no longer the need of survival or revolution to write about, modern Soviet satire focused on the quality of life.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chapple|first1=Richard L.|last2=Henry|first2=Peter |date=1976|title=Modern Soviet Satire |journal=The Slavic and East European Journal|volume=20|issue=3 |page=318|doi=10.2307/306330|jstor=306330|issn=0037-6752}}</ref>

[[File:Dictator charlie6.jpg|thumb|Benzino Napaloni and Adenoid Hynkel in ''The Great Dictator'' (1940).]] 
In the United States 1950s, satire was introduced into American [[stand-up comedy]] most prominently by [[Lenny Bruce]] and [[Mort Sahl]].<ref name="Test1991p8"/> As they challenged the [[taboo]]s and [[conventional wisdom]] of the time, were ostracized by the mass media establishment as ''[[sick comedian]]s''. In the same period, [[Paul Krassner]]'s magazine ''[[The Realist]]'' began publication, to become immensely popular during the 1960s and early 1970s among people in the [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]; it had articles and cartoons that were savage, biting satires of politicians such as [[Lyndon Johnson]] and [[Richard Nixon]], the [[Vietnam War]], the [[Cold War]] and the [[War on Drugs]]. This baton was also carried by the original [[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]] magazine, edited by [[Doug Kenney]] and [[Henry Beard]] and featuring blistering satire written by [[Michael O'Donoghue]], [[P.J. O'Rourke]], and [[Tony Hendra]], among others.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stein|first=Nathaniel|date=2013-07-01|title=Funny Pages: How the National Lampoon made American Humor|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/01/funny-pages-how-the-national-lampoon-made-american-humor|access-date=2020-07-22}}</ref> Prominent satiric stand-up comedian [[George Carlin]] acknowledged the influence ''The Realist'' had in his 1970s conversion to a satiric comedian.<ref name="Sullivan2010p94">Sullivan, James (2010) ''Seven Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=y3dzVQ5wX9UC&pg=PA94 p.94]</ref><ref>[[George Carlin]] (2002) ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043456/http://paulkrassner.com/carlinintro.htm Introduction]}}'' to ''Murder At the Conspiracy Convention''</ref>

A more humorous brand of satire enjoyed a renaissance in the UK in the early 1960s with the [[satire boom]], led by comedians including [[Peter Cook]], [[Alan Bennett]], [[Jonathan Miller]], and [[Dudley Moore]], whose stage show ''[[Beyond the Fringe]]'' was a hit not only in Britain, but also in the United States. Other significant influences in 1960s British satire include [[David Frost]], [[Eleanor Bron]] and the [[television program]] ''[[That Was The Week That Was]]''.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jun/14/david-frost-satire-documentary "David Frost's Q&A on how to be a satirist"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315134203/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jun/14/david-frost-satire-documentary |date=March 15, 2017 }}. ''The Guardian'' (London). Retrieved February 2, 2015</ref>

[[Joseph Heller]]'s most famous work, ''[[Catch-22]]'' (1961), satirizes bureaucracy and the military, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1868619.stm |title=What is Catch-22? And why does the book matter? |publisher= BBC | date=March 12, 2002}}</ref> Departing from traditional Hollywood [[farce]] and [[screwball comedy film|screwball]], director and comedian [[Jerry Lewis]] used satire in his self-directed films ''[[The Bellboy]]'' (1960), ''[[The Errand Boy]]'' (1961) and ''[[The Patsy (1964 film)|The Patsy]]'' (1964) to comment on celebrity and the star-making machinery of Hollywood.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/critics-notebook-jerry-lewis-a-comic-genius-by-turns-sweet-bitter-1031194|first=Stephen|last=Dalton|title=Critics Notebook: Jerry Lewis a Comic Genius by Turns Sweet and Bitter|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 21, 2017}}</ref> The film ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'' (1964) starring [[Peter Sellers]] was a popular satire on the [[Cold War]]. Sellers and the British satire boom had a direct influence on the comedy troupe [[Monty Python]].<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1377417/index.html "The Roots of Monty Python"]. BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 26 November 2023</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine called ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'' (1979) "an unrivalled satire on religion".<ref>{{cite news |title=The 100 best British films |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100britishfilms/ |access-date=26 September 2023|work=Empire}}</ref>

[[Nonoy Marcelo|Severino "Nonoy" Marcelo]]'s 1978 Philippine [[Adult animation|adult animated]] comedy film, ''[[Tadhana (film)|Tadhana]]'', presents a satirical, humorous and poignant view of the Philippines' history of [[Spanish Empire|Spanish colonization]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Tadhana by Ferdinand E. Marcos |url=https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/29/tadhana-by-ferdinand-e-marcos |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=Manila Bulletin |date=July 29, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Contemporary satire ===

Contemporary popular usage of the term "satire" is often very imprecise. While satire often uses [[caricature]] and [[parody]], by no means are all uses of these or other humorous devices satiric. Refer to the careful definition of satire that heads this article. ''The Cambridge Companion to Roman Satire'' also warns of the ambiguous nature of satire: {{blockquote|[W]hile "satire," or perhaps rather "satiric(al)," are words we run up against constantly in analyses of contemporary culture [...], the search for any defining formal charcteristic (sic) [of satire] that will link past to present may turn out to be more frustrating than enlightening.<ref name=Rome>Freudenburg, Kirk (2001). ''Satires of Rome: Threatening Poses from Lucilius to Juvenal.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 299. {{ISBN|0-521-00621-X}}.</ref>}}
[[File:Spitting Image Puppet of Eric Cantona (2956625432).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Puppet of Manchester United striker [[Eric Cantona]] from the British satirical puppet show ''[[Spitting Image]]'']]
Satire is used on many UK television programmes, particularly popular panel shows and quiz shows such as ''[[Mock the Week]]'' (2005–2022) and ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'' (1990–ongoing). It is found on radio quiz shows such as ''[[The News Quiz]]'' (1977–ongoing) and ''[[The Now Show]]'' (1998–2024). One of the most watched UK television shows of the 1980s and early 1990s, the puppet show ''[[Spitting Image]]'' was a satire of the [[British Royal Family|royal family]], politics, entertainment, sport and [[British culture]] of the era.<ref>Van Norris (2014). British Television Animation 1997–2010: Drawing Comic Tradition". p. 153. Palgrave Macmillan,</ref> [[Spitting Image#Evolution|Court Flunkey]] from ''Spitting Image'' is a caricature of [[James Gillray]], intended as a homage to the father of political cartooning.<ref>{{cite web|title=James Gillray|website=lambiek.net |url-status=live |url=https://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/gillray_james.htm|archive-date=November 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125110250/https://www.lambiek.net/artists/g/gillray_james.htm}}</ref>

Created by [[DMA Design]] in 1997, satire features prominently in the British video game series ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]''.<ref>Embrick DG, Talmadge J. Wright TJ, Lukacs A (2012). ''Social Exclusion, Power, and Video Game Play: New Research in Digital Media and Technology'', Lexington Books, p. 19, {{ISBN|9780739138625}}. Quote: "In-game television programs and advertisements, radio stations, and billboards provide a running satirical commentary on the state of civilization in general, and on the roles of males in particular."</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=GTA 5: a Great British export|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/10316267/GTA-5-a-Great-British-export.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/10316267/GTA-5-a-Great-British-export.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=September 29, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Another example is the ''[[Fallout (franchise)|Fallout]]'' series, namely [[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]]-developed ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game]]'' (1995).<ref>Canavan G, Robinson KS (2014). ''Green Planets: Ecology and Science Fiction'', Wesleyan University Press, p. 278, {{ISBN|9780819574282}}.</ref> Other games utilizing satire include ''[[Postal (video game)|Postal]]'' (1997),<ref name=GothicWorld>Byron G, Townshend D (2013). ''The Gothic World''. Routledge. p. 456. {{ISBN|9781135053062}}. Quote: "[P]resent themselves as deliberately controversial, incorporating hyper-violent gameplay, dark social satire and conspicuous political incorrectness[.]"</ref> ''[[State of Emergency (video game)|State of Emergency]]'' (2002),<ref name=GothicWorld/> ''[[Phone Story]]'' (2011), and ''[[7 Billion Humans]]'' (2018).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yi|first=Sherry|title='Is This a Joke?': The Delivery of Serious Content through Satirical Digital Games|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=875507|journal=Acta Ludologica|year=2020|volume=1|issue=1|pages=18–30|via=CEEOL}}</ref>

[[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]]'s ''[[South Park]]'' (1997–ongoing) relies almost exclusively on satire to address issues in American culture, with episodes addressing [[With Apologies to Jesse Jackson|racism]], [[The Passion of the Jew|anti-Semitism]], [[Go God Go|militant atheism]], [[Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride|homophobia]], [[Eat, Pray, Queef|sexism]], [[Rainforest Shmainforest|environmentalism]], [[Gnomes (South Park)|corporate culture]], [[The Death Camp of Tolerance|political correctness]] and [[Red Hot Catholic Love|anti-Catholicism]], among many other issues.

Satirical web series and sites include Emmy-nominated ''[[Honest Trailers]]'' (2012–),<ref>Lavender III, Isiah (2017). ''Dis-Orienting Planets: Racial Representations of Asia in Science Fiction''. Univ. Press of Mississippi, p. 208, {{ISBN|9781496811554}}.</ref> Internet phenomena-themed [[Encyclopedia Dramatica]] (2004–),<ref name=SocioMobile>{{cite book|title=Sociolinguistics and Mobile Communication |last=Deumert |first=Ana |date=2014 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |pages=181 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPXcCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT181 |access-date=12 June 2017 | isbn=9780748655779}}.</ref> [[Uncyclopedia]] (2005–),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lund |first1=Arwid|title=Wikipedia, Work, and Capitalism| date=2020|publisher=Springer: Dynamics of Virtual Work|isbn=9783319506890}}, p. 48.</ref> self-proclaimed "America's Finest News Source" ''[[The Onion]]'' (1988–).<ref>Kaye, Sharon M. (2010). ''The Onion and Philosophy: Fake News Story True, Alleges Indignant Area Professor''. Open Court Publishing. p. 243. {{ISBN|9780812696875}}. Quote: "People might be justified in concluding that the ''Onion'' is a legitimate small-town paper when they see headlines like "Local Woman Devotes Life To Doing God's Busy Work" (10/4/08), "God Help Him, Area Man Loves That Crazy Bitch" (11/22/08), or "Area Woman Wouldn't Mind Feeding Your Cats" (12/6/08). Even if they read the full story, they may never figure out it is a satire. Maybe if they scroll to the bottom of the webpage and notice the disclaimer, 'The Onion is not intended for readers under 18 years of age' they would realize that this is not your average news source. Maybe not—especially if they think that there might be such a thing as "adult news.""</ref> and ''The Onion's'' Christian conservative counterpart ''[[The Babylon Bee]]'' (2016–).<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Dickson|first=E. J.|date=2020-10-16|title=What Is the Babylon Bee? Trump Retweeted the Satirical Website|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/babylon-bee-satire-news-trump-tweet-1076701/|access-date=2021-05-20|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Stephen Colbert by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|[[Stephen Colbert]] satirically impersonated an [[Stephen Colbert (character)|opinionated and self-righteous television commentator]] on his [[Comedy Central]] program in the U.S.]]
In the United States, [[Stephen Colbert]]'s television program, ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' (2005–14) is instructive in the methods of contemporary American satire; sketch comedy television show ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' is also known for its satirical impressions and parodies of prominent persons and politicians, among some of the most notable, their parodies of U.S. political figures [[Saturday Night Live parodies of Hillary Clinton|Hillary Clinton]]<ref name=TVGuide1>[http://www.tvguide.com/news/snl-hillary-clinton-saturday-night-live-kate-mckinnon-amy-poehler/ Liz Raftery – "Who Did the Best Hillary Clinton Impression on SNL?", ''TV Guide'', April 30, 2015. (Video)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018060944/http://www.tvguide.com/news/snl-hillary-clinton-saturday-night-live-kate-mckinnon-amy-poehler/ |date=October 18, 2017 }} Retrieved August 15, 2015</ref> and of [[Saturday Night Live parodies of Sarah Palin|Sarah Palin]].<ref>{{cite news|title=You betcha—Tina Fey wins Emmy as Sarah Palin on 'SNL'|date=September 13, 2009|work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/09/you-betcha-tina-fey-wins-emmy-as-sarah-palin-on-snl-entertainment-news-2468097.html|access-date=September 13, 2009|archive-date=July 9, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709105331/http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2009/09/you-betcha-tina-fey-wins-emmy-as-sarah-palin-on-snl-entertainment-news-2468097.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Stephen Colbert (character)|Colbert's character]] is an opinionated and self-righteous commentator who, in his TV interviews, interrupts people, points and wags his finger at them, and "unwittingly" uses a number of logical fallacies. In doing so, he demonstrates the principle of modern American political satire: the ridicule of the actions of politicians and other public figures by taking all their statements and purported beliefs to their furthest (supposedly) logical conclusion, thus revealing their perceived hypocrisy or absurdity.

In the United Kingdom, a popular modern satirist was the late Sir [[Terry Pratchett]], author of the internationally best-selling ''[[Discworld]]'' book series. One of the most well-known and controversial British satirists is [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]], co-writer and director of ''[[Four Lions]]''.

In Canada, satire has become an important part of the comedy scene. [[Stephen Leacock]] was one of the best known early Canadian satirists, and in the early 20th century, he achieved fame by targeting the attitudes of small-town life. In more recent years, Canada has had several prominent satirical television series and radio shows. Some, including ''[[CODCO]]'', ''[[The Royal Canadian Air Farce]]'', ''[[This Is That]]'', and ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes]]'' deal directly with current news stories and political figures, while others, like ''[[History Bites]]'' present contemporary social satire in the context of events and figures in history. [[The Beaverton]] is a Canadian news satire site similar to The Onion. Canadian songwriter [[Nancy White (singer-songwriter)|Nancy White]] uses music as the vehicle for her satire, and her comic folk songs are regularly played on [[CBC Radio One|CBC Radio]].

In Hong Kong, there was a well-known Australian [[Kim Jong-un]] [[impersonator]] [[Howard X]] whom often utilised satire to show his support for Hong Kong city's pro-democracy movements and liberation of North Korea. He believed that humour is a very powerful weapon and he often made it clear that he imitates the dictator to satirize him, not to glorify him. Throughout his career as a professional impersonator, he had also worked with multiple organisations and celebrities to create parodies and to stir up conversations of politics and human rights.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Meet Howard X, the Dictator Doppelgänger From Hong Kong |url=https://time.com/5549634/howard-x-kim-jung-un-impersonator/ |magazine=Time |publisher=Amy Gunia |date=29 March 2019 }}</ref>

Cartoonists often use satire as well as straight humour. [[Al Capp]]'s satirical [[comic strip]] ''[[Li'l Abner]]'' was censored in September 1947. The controversy, as reported in ''Time'', centred on Capp's portrayal of the US Senate. Said Edward Leech of Scripps-Howard, "We don't think it is good editing or sound citizenship to picture the Senate as an assemblage of freaks and crooks... boobs and undesirables."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804275,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023081224/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804275,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2007 |title=Tain't Funny – ''Time'' |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=September 29, 1947 |access-date=August 29, 2009}}</ref> [[Walt Kelly]]'s ''[[Pogo (comics)|Pogo]]'' was likewise censored in 1952 over his overt satire of [[Joseph McCarthy|Senator Joe McCarthy]], caricatured in his comic strip as "Simple J. Malarky". [[Garry Trudeau]], whose [[comic strip]] ''[[Doonesbury]]'' focuses on satire of the political system, and provides a trademark cynical view on national events. Trudeau exemplifies humour mixed with criticism. For example, the character [[Mark Slackmeyer]] lamented that because he was not legally married to his partner, he was deprived of the "exquisite agony" of experiencing a nasty and painful divorce like heterosexuals. This, of course, satirized the claim that gay unions would denigrate the sanctity of heterosexual marriage.

[[File:2014- 02 - Obama and Putin, by Ranan Lurie.png|thumb|Political satire by [[Ranan Lurie]]]]
Like some literary predecessors, many recent television satires contain strong elements of parody and [[caricature]]; for instance, the popular animated series ''The Simpsons'' and ''South Park'' both parody modern family and social life by taking their assumptions to the extreme; both have led to the creation of similar series. As well as the purely humorous effect of this sort of thing, they often strongly criticise various phenomena in politics, economic life, religion and many other aspects of society, and thus qualify as satirical. Due to their animated nature, these shows can easily use images of public figures and generally have greater freedom to do so than conventional shows using live actors.

[[News satire]] is also a very popular form of contemporary satire, appearing in as wide an array of formats as the news media itself: print (e.g. ''[[The Onion]]'', ''[[Waterford Whispers News]]'', ''[[Private Eye]]''), radio (e.g. ''[[On the Hour]]''), television (e.g. ''[[The Day Today]]'', ''[[The Daily Show]]'', ''[[Brass Eye]]'') and the web (e.g. ''[[Faking News]]'', ''[[El Koshary Today]]'', ''[[Babylon Bee]]'', ''[[The Beaverton]]'', ''[[The Daily Bonnet]]'' and ''[[The Onion]]''). Other satires are on the [[list of satirists and satires]].

In an interview with ''[[Wikinews]]'', Sean Mills, President of ''[[The Onion]]'', said angry letters about their news parody always carried the same message. "It's whatever affects that person", said Mills. "So it's like, 'I love it when you make a joke about murder or rape, but if you talk about cancer, well my brother has cancer and that's not funny to me.' Or someone else can say, 'Cancer's ''hilarious'', but don't talk about rape because my cousin got raped.' Those are rather extreme examples, but if it affects somebody personally, they tend to be more sensitive about it."<ref name=DS>[[n:The Onion: An interview with 'America's Finest News Source'|An interview with The Onion]], David Shankbone, ''[[Wikinews]]'', November 25, 2007.</ref>

Satire is also gaining recognition for its value in social science research, particularly when authors are seeking to unpack complex social issues like gendered racism.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lewellen|first1=Chelesea|last2=Bohonos|first2=Jeremy W. |date=January 2021|title=Excuse me, sir?: A critical race theory (hair) chronicle|journal=Gender, Work & Organization|volume=28|issue=S1|pages=1–5|doi=10.1111/gwao.12522|s2cid=225368135|issn=0968-6673}}</ref>

Satire is regularly used by social movements covering a range of issues to achieve strategic goals.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Democracy Resource Hub |last2=Horizons Project |date=2024-11-10 |title=Defending Democracy with Humor and Dilemma Actions Tactics |url=https://commonslibrary.org/defending-democracy-with-humor-and-dilemma-actions-tactics/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref>  US community organizer and author of Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky, stated, '''Humour is essential to a successful tactician, for the most potent weapons known to [people] are satire and ridicule''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Maxwell J. |date=2020-02-24 |title=The Case for Laughter in Social Movements |url=https://commonslibrary.org/the-case-for-laughter-in-social-movements/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref>