Satire: Funny or Fact?

During election season, shows like SNL are known for their political sketches and Stephen Colbert loves when he can make fun of any politician. But in order to understand the satire in these shows, one must be educated one the current events being discussed.  

Television shows are obviously targeted to a specific audience, and shows like The Colbert Report are intended for a liberal, culturally aware audience. A study done at Ohio State University found that while both conservatives and liberals found Colbert to be funny, they were misunderstanding his opinion. The Huffington Post said, “conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements.”

To me, this is problematic. While viewership of The Colbert Report is fair game to anyone with cable, people (typically conservatives) are misunderstanding the use of his satire. It is no coincidence that conservatives want to believe his opinion is serious and liberals understand he is joking. People hear what they want to hear. While I am a fan of satire, I can’t help but wonder if it is really a helpful tool in social progression or if, in cases like Colbert, it unintentionally perpetuates more traditional opinions, allowing liberal ideas to be overlooked.