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Why Did Trudeau Use Satire Essay

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Why Did Trudeau Use Satire Essay
Maajid Nawaz, a British activist, radio host, and politician stated how “satire is, by definition, offensive. It is meant to make us feel uncomfortable. It is meant to make us scratch our heads, think, do a double-take, and then think again.” America has adopted the use of satire from England and has openly welcomed the use of it in our nation. Americans encourage the attacks on government that satire brings because they help us to see the shortcomings in society and push for change to improve the nation. In the comic series Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau effectively satirizes the U.S. government and media through his comedic portrayals of their failings and priorities. In a recent comic strip regarding gun violence and the Ebola epidemic, Garry …show more content…
Using his comic strips, Trudeau often mocks a certain group of people, but does so in a not-so-offensive way. In another recent comic regarding abortion, Trudeau criticizes conservative male state legislators, who often shame women for terminating pregnancies. Trudeau simplified the issue of abortion, making it seem less serious of an issue than it really is, and disclosed the actions of “middle-aged, male state legislators” by referring to them as the “shaming room.” Through his simple dismissal of the issue of abortion, Trudeau amusingly mocks the beliefs of the conservative male legislators who criticize women for their decisions. Trudeau’s comics are often humorous enough that they are not offensive and the readers can smirk or lightly laugh, yet the readers clearly understand the deeper criticisms and attacks on the U.S. government, media, and other groups of people.
As seen above, Doonesbury is a terrific example of comedic satire in newspaper comics. Garry Trudeau’s comics make his audience think about the issues in society, including the more uncomfortable topics, yet Trudeau’s audience enjoys his comics and discover the shortcomings of American society. Though his comics, Trudeau effectively satirizes the U.S. government and other failings of society, revealing their faults and mistakes to the

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