Monday, October 13, 2008
Satire
The piece of satire we watched this morning about our education system really hit me. To think that we are one of the leading countries in opportunities and educational resources now seems false. Education has been slowly destroyed and deformed by external influences such as technology. The use of computers, ipods, and cell phones in a classroom has become normal. The distraction of site such as Facebook or music on an ipod is ignored. These issues need attention. Teachers should take care to make sure that children are affected by what they are teaching that they are taking advantage of what the teacher has to offer. I don’t think it’s that these issues are simply ignored it’s just that the teachers don’t know what to do about it. They have become accustomed to having technology influence life in the classroom. In some cases, yes it is alright, but not knowing when to limit their use of items such as computers needs to be helped. This form of satire was very direct with the large amount of touching facts. Satire in general, whether meant to be funny or not, is always influential. Whether you believe in it or not it makes you think, and sometimes the reality the humor portrays is scary. These issues that our society is not willing to accept or acknowledge unless it is displayed through crude humor. What has our world come to? The youth of this country, of this world, are learning to laugh at our issues. Yes, it may be a way for these messages to come across but in some forms these issues need to be directly addressed, not simply circumvented around time and time again.
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2 comments:
I understand what you are saying Kenya, I highly doubt most elementary school kids are going to understand a satire such as the "Irack," but still look at us, we understand these things and by the end of them realize how incredibly horrible this war is. Isn't it important to use humor to make ADD teenagers like us stay interested, and then realize the message?
Kenya and AJ....you have hit the nail on the head! That's why satire often offends "serious people" (whoever they are :). If you want to draw attention to an issue that has very wide appeal, you have to choose several methods for reaching a diverse audience. Some people respond best to a nudge, while some need a combat boot to the seat of the pants. I think in satire, the key is that it should offer a sort of parable, which is, ironically, how many great teachers across the ages have taught. The iRack is a good example of telling one story on the surface in order to bring to the mind of your listener another message. Some protesters feel that if their work is not offensive to the status quo that it won't trigger emotion and deeper thought, and thus influence a change in that status quo.
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