Satire

The concept of Satire enables the artist to point out incongruities between truth and appearances.  It provides a way for us to express the absurdity in things we may take for granted or have just gotten used to.  Satire, irony, and parody are commonplace in today's landscape of youtube videos, memes, and irreverent comedy.  With the democratization of information and access, people can use visual imagery to poke holes in societal assumptions, stereotypes, and pandering, sharing their observations  instantly with the world.  We've even gone so far as to satirize satire and parody parody.  It's boggling, but entertaining none-the-less.

I'm not sure that I really want to use satire in my own work, necessarily, because at this point I find sincerity to be particularly valuable, but I certainly appreciate it's comedic and political potential and the power that it can have to open people's eyes to things.  During Wednesday's conference as I presented some of my ideas regarding my work in this class, we brought up the interesting difference in the connotations associated with witches and shamans.  Does this have something to do with misogyny and a deeply embedded fear of women with power?  Does this linger and seep through even now; even in our conceptions of esoteric icons which have been delegitimized by our society and all but relegated to a place of irrelevance?  It seems odd that we should bother to make a discernment.  It's this kind of absurdity that could certainly be articulated using satire (i.e. perhaps by conflating popular, influential public icons such as Oprah and Dr. Oz with the identities of witches and shamans, examining the differences in the ways they have been scrutinized or glorified in the media), though I doubt that is the direction that I will take with this project.