Parody and satire have always played an important role in shaping the modern world. As a powerful art form, satire and parody possess the ability to bring out the deficiencies in today’s social issues and human behaviors in an absurd, hilarious and entertaining manner all aimed at reaching the intended audience. In modern society, parody and satire are among the most absolute elements of the society (LeBoeuf, 2007). Satirists and parodists serve as harbingers of error in the society; they aim at pointing out the important areas of the society, including the straying from moral grounds. In today’s world, many individuals take for granted that their convictions are often on the right, the satirists and parodists on the other hand through their artworks stand against these convictions. Through this, they help ensure that people understand that they actions are not always appropriate and what needs to be corrected in these actions (Baym & Jones, 2013).
In modern society, parody and satire have been used in shaping a country’s democracy. Satirists and parodists use the tools with the aim of sending different political messages to the society. For example, parodists and satirists may ridicule a politician showing his wrong decisions with the aim of creating awareness to the society. The media environment plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of parody and satire in the modern world. With the 24 hour cycle within the media and the active media participation of the society, satirists and parodists are able to send their intended messages with ease unlike in the past where literature was the only mode of transfer (Baym & Jones, 2013)
An example of a parodic and satiric video advertisement is the 2013 Coca-Cola obesity advert. In this advert, Coca-Cola narrates the dangers of consuming their products and the roles it plays in increasing the calorie levels in the body. As the narrator in the video describes Coca-Cola is partially responsible for the increase in obesity across the United States. Even with the fact that the company should defend its product, the author uses parody and satire to describe the impacts the excessive consuming of its products has on the people’s health. The commercial however also sends a different message about the unity the company brings in the society, the advert to some extent also aims at marketing the beverages with low-calorie levels (The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial, 2013).
Parody and satire are evident in the way the narrator ridicules and makes fun of the product to send the intended message. For example, toward the end, the narrator states “if you drink coke you will get fatter and fatter, the solution is simple and its right in front of your eyes; don’t drink coke, it’s killing you and your family.” (The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial, 2013) This advert, even with its parodic and satirical components aims at pointing out the problems associated with drinking Coca-Cola products with the attempt to instigate change and reduce the amount of Coca-Cola products individuals consume in a week. The advert also offers a critic of the products from the company including the “diet” ones with the aim of describing the health implications resulting from excessive consumption of the products.
- Baym, G., & Jones, J. P. (2013). News Parody in Global Perspective: Politics, Power, and Resistance.
- LeBoeuf, M. (2007). The Power of Ridicule: An Analysis of Satire. Senior Honors Projects.
- The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial (2013). [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHhCP5ad-zM