Satire

Satire is an advanced form of humor, usually in a personal and social context, often on different levels. Satirists are in many ways commentators, using stories as their medium to explore ideas, situations, and social issues. The situations are metaphors, often for complex issues where logic is used as a weapon to expose absurdities and injustices.

Satire dates back at least to the ancient Greeks, where plays and books satirized the pomposities of the day. Modern satirists are often writers and comedians, using analogies and logical developments of situations to lampoon institutions like politics.

Examples of satire

Aepulius: The Golden Ass A satire of the deep mysticism of ancient Greece.
Voltaire: Candide A satire of idealism and the Utopian ideals of his time.
Joseph Heller: Catch 22 The book satirizes the realities of the World War 2 military with abject personal situations, and cynical allusions to the stated ideals of the war period in the US.
Rowan and Martin's Laugh In: TV series in the 1960s, which revolutionized modern social commentary.
M*A*S*H: Film and TV series written by Korean War veterans using comedy as a way of commentary on a range of social issues and the period culture.

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Satire