Kynical dogs and cynical masters: Contemporary satire, politics and truth-telling
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Rebecca Higgie
Rebecca Higgie is a sessional academic in the Department of Communication and Cultural Studies at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Her research explores the interplay between satire and contemporary politics, particularly in how televisual and online satirical texts contribute to the evolving nature of political discourse. She also teaches cultural studies, media studies and writing.
Abstract
This article proposes that the philosophical techniques found in contemporary satires can be understood using a spectrum that ranges between the cynical and the kynical. Cynicism is the belief that there is no hope for change, that truth is dead, while kynicism – a non-nihilistic form of cynicism – maintains that truth does exist, and is worth saving from political and media manipulations. By exploring the evolution of kynicism, from its origins in ancient Greek philosophy to its presence in contemporary satire, I analyze how The Chaser and The Thick of It are complex examples of kynicism and cynicism respectively. I argue that by conceptualizing contemporary political satire using a dynamic spectrum, we may better understand how satire envisages politics in a postmodern society and, in turn, how certain satires may be more resistant to co-option by politicians or the “modern cynic.”
About the author
Rebecca Higgie is a sessional academic in the Department of Communication and Cultural Studies at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Her research explores the interplay between satire and contemporary politics, particularly in how televisual and online satirical texts contribute to the evolving nature of political discourse. She also teaches cultural studies, media studies and writing.
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Kynical dogs and cynical masters: Contemporary satire, politics and truth-telling
- Hoisan-wa in jest: Humor, laughter, and the construction of counter-hegemonic affect in contemporary Chinese American language maintenance
- Relationship-focused humor styles and relationship satisfaction in dating couples: A repeated-measures design
- Humor in leader-follower relationships: Humor styles, similarity and relationship quality
- Experimentally observed responses to humor are related to individual differences in emotion perception and regulation in everyday life
- An explorative study into the possible benefits of using humor in creative tasks with a class of primary five pupils
- Assessing humor at work: The humor climate questionnaire
- The analysis of elementary and high school students' natural and humorous responses patterns in coping with embarrassing situations
- Patriarchy and New Comedy in Ancient Athens and Rome: Revisiting Northrop Frye's “Mythos of Spring: Comedy”
- Book reviews
- Book Review
- Book Review
- Book Review
- Book Review
- Book Review
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Kynical dogs and cynical masters: Contemporary satire, politics and truth-telling
- Hoisan-wa in jest: Humor, laughter, and the construction of counter-hegemonic affect in contemporary Chinese American language maintenance
- Relationship-focused humor styles and relationship satisfaction in dating couples: A repeated-measures design
- Humor in leader-follower relationships: Humor styles, similarity and relationship quality
- Experimentally observed responses to humor are related to individual differences in emotion perception and regulation in everyday life
- An explorative study into the possible benefits of using humor in creative tasks with a class of primary five pupils
- Assessing humor at work: The humor climate questionnaire
- The analysis of elementary and high school students' natural and humorous responses patterns in coping with embarrassing situations
- Patriarchy and New Comedy in Ancient Athens and Rome: Revisiting Northrop Frye's “Mythos of Spring: Comedy”
- Book reviews
- Book Review
- Book Review
- Book Review
- Book Review
- Book Review
