"And Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you" (Job 12:1-2).Let's get a couple things cleared up about satire. If you were sent this link it's likely that you told me I was "mean-spirited", "unloving", "un-Christian" or some other thing questioning my righteousness, morality, or character because I used satire or sarcasm. This guide is a single answer to those accusations so that I don't have to keep re-typing them over and over and possibly missing important key points.
I suspect that I will be placing links to this post for some time so I'll try to cover the general idea here in such a way that it deals with all such complaints. I reserve the right to update and revise this post as necessary to clarify the issues. You are welcome to do your own research on the topic. There are many good discussions elsewhere Internet that are worth reading.
Because I am a Christian I will answer these points from a Christian ethic. I can also answer them from other philosophies and ethical systems, but this one is mine and it's the one I feel responsible to.
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It seems that primarily complaints come up when someone feels I've been mean to them by picking on some group they identify with. They think I've somehow attacked them as a person and they are angry, hurt, offended, indignant, etc. This is a relatively new social issue that's come up in the last fifteen years. We live in times of political correctness where people believe they have a right to feel "safe" from anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, including open criticism of what they believe or how they live. Of course that's a bunch of baloney.
A free society is built on the free exchange of ideas. As soon as a society starts shouting down people with cries of "You can't say that!" it stops being a free society. Moreover, it becomes a really crummy place to live where thought police run around all the time making sure you only think and say things that others deem to be "right". Worse, what others deem to be right is usually what is wrong and needs to be called out.
Beyond that though, we are a society that has forgotten how to laugh. We're terrified at laughing at others and enraged (or traumatized) if anyone laughs at us. That's a shame and something we need to actively try to change. A society that cannot laugh at the silliness and outright stupidity we as humans commit on a daily basis soon builds up pressure that eventually explodes.
My purpose in occasionally writing satire is to make people uncomfortable. That's not mean and it's not mallicious. It's a rhetorical technique to help us think through issues and is sometimes a necessity to shake people up to effect change.
Below are some common complaints people level at me and others who do what I do. I have given short responses that cover the basic ideas. You are free to disagree as you please, but you are not free to play the victim card with me. Your emotional blackmail will not work. I will continue to speak out on social issues I feel need to be addressed. You can find your safe place somewhere else.
Index
- Point One: "Satire/sarcasm is un-Christian!"
- Point Two: "You hurt my feelings, you sinned against me!"
- Point Three: "I'm part of that group and so you attacked me!"
- Point Four: "Your use of satire is offensive, that's sin!"
- Point Five: "You're just being mean-spirited and unloving!"
- Point Six: "But you hurt me using such hurtful words!"
- Point Seven: "Don't you admit sometimes sarcasm is bad?"
- Point Eight: "There are better ways to communicate than using sarcasm! Use a nicer way of talking and people will respond better."
- Point Nine: "Can't you see how it could be hurtful though?"
- Point Ten: "Why are you so mean? Why can't you just be nice and loving? Do you want me to act like that to you???"
- Is it really just a preference that's making you upset?
- Why I use satire and sarcasm when discussing such serious topics.
Point One: "Satire/sarcasm is un-Christian!" There is nothing inherently unbiblical about satire, sarcasm, irony, ridicule, exaggeration, or humor. In fact, the Bible has many instances of these things. Christians throughout history have also used these rhetorical devices to illustrate heresy, the social problems of their day, or to call out a particularly nasty adversary who stands against God and the things of God. It is also used to make a very direct and clear statement to help people see the error of their ways. Here are a few examples: 1 Corinthians 4:8-13; Isaiah 40:19-20; Jeremiah 46:11; 1 Kings 18:27; Job 12:1-2. There are others, but these serve to show the point that satire, sarcasm, and irony are not inherently sinful, wrong, or to be avoided.
Note that there are some who will quibble over definitions and say something like "Well, satire is okay, but sarcasm is mean spirited so sarcasm is wrong." However, there is no Biblical support for this definition of sarcasm. The common English definition of sarcasm is "the use of irony to mock or convey contempt." There are some things worthy of mockery and contempt (let's start with the devil shall we?).
Point Two: "You hurt my feelings, you sinned against me!" Despite what some believe, the highest virtue in the Bible is not protecting people's feelings. Our culture is saturated with the belief that anything that makes anyone feel a little less than absolutely wonderful about themselves is somehow wrong. There is absolutely nothing in Scripture that advocates for this. In fact, the Bible is pretty much designed to show us that we shouldn't feel absolutely wonderful about ourselves.
So, just because your feelings or sensitivities are hurt does not mean that someone else was being unloving. It could just mean that you are over-sensitive. Moreover, they may actually be hurting your feelings for a very good reason to help you see a failing in your own life or illustrate a cultural ill that needs to be addressed instead of ignored.
Point Three: "I'm part of that group and so you attacked me!" If I attack you personally then you might have a complaint. However, to have an actual complaint you must demonstrate the following:
- That the post was actually and specifically about you as an individual and not just a valid generalization about a group you happen to be part of.
- That the post was clearly identified as not a generalization but that I was calling each and every single member of that group out.
- That the post was actually false.
- That your position or behavior was actually right.
- That the intention behind the post was to be unjustifiably cruel. Note: you must be able to accurately and conclusively prove what my intentions were (know my heart). Documentation will be required.
In other words, you cannot simply claim someone sinned just because they said something you didn't like.
Point Four: "Your use of satire is offensive, that's sin!" You cannot claim someone sinned in what they said because they said it in a way that you found less than pleasant. Your feeling of being offended does not in any way define morality. Morality is not defined by feelings. It is defined by what God has said is moral and immoral. That means we have an objective standard.
Point Five: "You're just being mean-spirited and unloving!" Some people interpret all sarcasm and satire as being "mean spirited" or "unloving". I suppose they would then have to accuse Paul, Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, and ultimately God of being mean spirited and unloving based on the passages above. However, not all satire is ipso facto mean spirited or unloving. It's the purpose behind it, the reason for it being used, that is important.
If I am using satire simply to hurt other people or declare my superiority over them then there's a problem. However, if I use it to help people see a silly or foolish point of view and I use it in a way that focuses on the wrong beliefs or behaviors then I'm on solid ground. That is not to say that I can't mention specific people. However, I am not to be attacking the person as a person rather I attack the behavior or beliefs held by the person.
Point Six: "But you hurt me by using such hurtful words!" I'm sorry you were hurt, but you might consider the possibility that you need to just suck it up and quit taking yourself so seriously. No, that is not sarcasm. It's an honest admonition. If everything someone says in a joking way to illustrate a problem offends you then you have an issue. Christianity is not some somber walk where we refuse to laugh at the things in life (including ourselves). Irony is considered funny because it is funny. God has given us the ability to see irony to help us identify foolish actions and beliefs. It is a tool and while that tool can be misused, it is not in itself an evil tool.
Point Seven: "Don't you admit some sarcasm is bad?" Sometimes sarcasm and irony are misused. I make that mistake just like everyone else does. When I do I am to repent and if someone can demonstrate to me that I have failed to meet the conditions above in what I said then I will listen. However, as I've said, not all sarcasm and irony are bad and I will not apologize for calling out sinfulness, foolishness, and outright stupidity to help others see sinfulness, foolishness, and outright stupidity.
Point Eight: "There are better ways to communicate than using sarcasm! Use a nicer way of talking and people will respond better." Really? What is your biblical support for this statement? What's your historical support for that statement? What's your scientific support for that statement? What you're really saying is there is always a nice way to get people to change their minds. That's simply not true. Sure, these rhetorical devices are not to be used all the time. That's true of every rhetorical tool. However, that does not mean that sarcasm and satire are of lesser value as rhetorical tools. They are a tool. There is a time and place for that tool.
Point Nine: "Can't you see how it could be hurtful though?" Yeah, so? Can't you see how questioning my ability to see if something is hurtful could be hurtful? You've hurt me by asking that question! You should never ask questions!
Alright, more seriously, is something being "hurtful" your definition of right and wrong? What is the biblical standard for that argument? Again, go back to the previous points about feelings.
Now that does not mean that we are to intentionally walk around just hurting people's feelings because it's fun to hurt people's feelings. That would be cruel. However, irony and satire are not necessarily about hurting people's feelings because it's fun to hurt people's feelings. It can be, but it isn't necessarily that. Again, it's a tool. The issue is not the tool, it's how the tool is used and why the tool is used.
Point Ten: "Why are you so mean? Why can't you just be nice and loving? Do you want me to act like that to you???" Why are you so manipulative? Do you always define your relationships by emotional blackmail rather than reasoned responses? Why do you ask questions with assumed answers? Do you really want to make me cry???
Is it really just a preference that's making you upset? Look folks, I know not everyone likes sarcasm and irony. That's okay. However, that is a personal preference and not a biblical standard. It's important we don't confuse the two and end up being called out by someone like Job for our arrogant belief we are the measure of all things.
Why I use satire and sarcasm on such serious topics... Because my heart is so terribly broken. Consider for a moment this quote:
Point Five: "You're just being mean-spirited and unloving!" Some people interpret all sarcasm and satire as being "mean spirited" or "unloving". I suppose they would then have to accuse Paul, Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, and ultimately God of being mean spirited and unloving based on the passages above. However, not all satire is ipso facto mean spirited or unloving. It's the purpose behind it, the reason for it being used, that is important.
If I am using satire simply to hurt other people or declare my superiority over them then there's a problem. However, if I use it to help people see a silly or foolish point of view and I use it in a way that focuses on the wrong beliefs or behaviors then I'm on solid ground. That is not to say that I can't mention specific people. However, I am not to be attacking the person as a person rather I attack the behavior or beliefs held by the person.
Point Six: "But you hurt me by using such hurtful words!" I'm sorry you were hurt, but you might consider the possibility that you need to just suck it up and quit taking yourself so seriously. No, that is not sarcasm. It's an honest admonition. If everything someone says in a joking way to illustrate a problem offends you then you have an issue. Christianity is not some somber walk where we refuse to laugh at the things in life (including ourselves). Irony is considered funny because it is funny. God has given us the ability to see irony to help us identify foolish actions and beliefs. It is a tool and while that tool can be misused, it is not in itself an evil tool.
Point Seven: "Don't you admit some sarcasm is bad?" Sometimes sarcasm and irony are misused. I make that mistake just like everyone else does. When I do I am to repent and if someone can demonstrate to me that I have failed to meet the conditions above in what I said then I will listen. However, as I've said, not all sarcasm and irony are bad and I will not apologize for calling out sinfulness, foolishness, and outright stupidity to help others see sinfulness, foolishness, and outright stupidity.
Point Eight: "There are better ways to communicate than using sarcasm! Use a nicer way of talking and people will respond better." Really? What is your biblical support for this statement? What's your historical support for that statement? What's your scientific support for that statement? What you're really saying is there is always a nice way to get people to change their minds. That's simply not true. Sure, these rhetorical devices are not to be used all the time. That's true of every rhetorical tool. However, that does not mean that sarcasm and satire are of lesser value as rhetorical tools. They are a tool. There is a time and place for that tool.
Point Nine: "Can't you see how it could be hurtful though?" Yeah, so? Can't you see how questioning my ability to see if something is hurtful could be hurtful? You've hurt me by asking that question! You should never ask questions!
Alright, more seriously, is something being "hurtful" your definition of right and wrong? What is the biblical standard for that argument? Again, go back to the previous points about feelings.
Now that does not mean that we are to intentionally walk around just hurting people's feelings because it's fun to hurt people's feelings. That would be cruel. However, irony and satire are not necessarily about hurting people's feelings because it's fun to hurt people's feelings. It can be, but it isn't necessarily that. Again, it's a tool. The issue is not the tool, it's how the tool is used and why the tool is used.
Point Ten: "Why are you so mean? Why can't you just be nice and loving? Do you want me to act like that to you???" Why are you so manipulative? Do you always define your relationships by emotional blackmail rather than reasoned responses? Why do you ask questions with assumed answers? Do you really want to make me cry???
Is it really just a preference that's making you upset? Look folks, I know not everyone likes sarcasm and irony. That's okay. However, that is a personal preference and not a biblical standard. It's important we don't confuse the two and end up being called out by someone like Job for our arrogant belief we are the measure of all things.
Why I use satire and sarcasm on such serious topics... Because my heart is so terribly broken. Consider for a moment this quote:
And if I laugh at any mortal thing, 'Tis that I may not weep. -- ByronIf I resort to satire and sarcasm it is likely that I am absolutely unable to discuss these things in a truly serious and reasonable tone without falling into depression or wanting to weep.
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