True Satire

What is satire in its true sense? It is not caricature, which is distortion of truth by means of exaggerating a certain somewhat prominent feature - such as someone’s slightly large nose, and ridiculing them by so doing. This might be just for humour and not pretending to be anything more than this, though it may be cruel. But it may also be wilful distortion for propagandist reasons - focusing in on a certain feature and discrediting the whole by exaggeration of this considered weak point: totalitarian regimes and mindsets  would be very prone to these kinds of distortions of enemies - real enemies or usefully portrayed as such. So some facet of the target enemy, the Jew or whoever, is distorted grotesquely, and the concern here obviously is in no sense fidelity to truth, but rather furthering a cause.

True satire though, in its integrity, despite perhaps appearances, has nothing to do with distortion and exaggeration. It is actually hyper-concerned with truth, cutting to its core and highlighting it to perhaps a shocking degree. But the reason it is shocking is not because it is a distortion, but rather because the core is shocking, but the flow of society may be so layered and gradually weakened by ever more encroaching lies that this essence has become accepted and woven into itself. The satire will then probably be dismissed by most as gross exaggeration. Actually, a false step renders satire empty since its connection to truth is what gives it its power and coiled energy. For instance in the scientifically imposed tyranny of Brave New World there are a class of ‘manufactured’ or socially engineered people, the Epsilon Semi-Morons, whose newspapers by intent never contain words of greater than one syllable. Their capacity for independent thought is of course zero. This isn’t an unfair joke but rather the unimpeded progression of an essence already tangible to Huxley which is being highlighted here. 

So satire is a truth revealer. It pushes some idea, agenda or social phenomenon towards shocking conclusions, which are actually plausible and consistent with that ethos, not unfair distortions; and thus the layers of mental obfuscation are cut through and the false nature exposed. It may do this to fantastic levels, but still the connection to truth and its essence is vital. By means of a kind of creative alchemy some truth or truths are encapsulated. Obviously there can be a wild, free humour and imagination involved, in its heights it’s not rationally contrived, so there can be a great liberating force involved in all this also.