swiftean? not really.

I swore to myself that I would actually get work done in the office today so I'm going to make this fast:

For the education and edification of all those defensive and clueless editors or writers out there who have found themselves in the middle of a media shitstorm, stammering, 'But-but-but it was satire!!' what exactly are the rules of satire, what makes it work, and why do so many get it so very, very wrong?

This election season (if not the past 8 years) should have given us ripe opportunities for effective satire but, so far, not so much. (Stephen Colbert's The Word segment is a rare exception, I think.)

From undergrad newspaper columnists across the country (too numerous and repulsive to even link) to the once-great Daily Show (and their poorly conceived/implemented Gitmo) - and even to The New Yorker's latest cover - satire's rapier-like point has been blunted by some clumsy man-hands.

I am counting on you literature profs and grad students on Bitch to definitively and thoughtfully parse this for me. Throw out your favorite satirists, satirical pieces, and give these editorial/writing teams some knowledge. Carry on!

It's Funny How Humor Is So Ticklish - washingtonpost.com