Satire serves to keep society in check

On Wednesday, Jan. 7, two Islamic gunmen walked into the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly newspaper and killed 12 people and wounded 11 evidently because the newspaper published satirical cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.

The newspaper is known for publishing articles that mock Catholicism, Islam, Judaism and Israel, as well as politics, culture and various other groups as well as local and world news.

It has a no backing down stance and has attracted controversy over the years.

In 2012, the newspaper’s offices were firebombed after it published cartoons that infuriated members of the Islamic community. In 2006, Islamic organizations unsuccessfully sued the newspaper because it published Muhammad cartoons.

Although people who are not Muslims don’t see anything wrong with Charlie Hebdo’s depiction of Muhammad, Muslims are serious when it comes to the prophet, going as far as to ban any depictions of him — serious or satirical — because it could be seen as worshipping him instead of Allah.

Satire has been around for hundreds of years and every religion, group and person can be satirized whether they like it or not.

Movies such as “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” and “Saved!” are examples of Christianity being satirized. Television shows like “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “South Park” mock all groups in some form. Some of these depictions include light-hearted jokes or plot points while others take the mocking to levels that spark outrage amongst the depicted groups .

The court jesters from the Middle Ages could be seen as early examples of a satirist. Their goal was to not only entertain the king and his guests, but also to criticize them and keep them in their place should they get out of line.

Columnists and cartoonists of today play a role similar to a jester. One example of this recently happened when Kirby DeLauter, an elected councilman of Frederick County, Md., threatened to sue the Frederick County News-Post if they used his name in their stories without his permission. The newspaper staff responded with an editorial that not only included his name many, many times, but also variations and alternative ways they could identify him in the paper. Although this was a humorous response, the paper also used the editorial to remind DeLauter that the First Amendment allows them to use his name in print without his authorization because he is a public figure.

Cartoonists and columnists, liberals and conservatives alike, will take shots at their favorite targets.

Part of why some folks get angry over satire might be because they don’t understand it. If you’re not as literate and you don’t understand the information that is presented to you, then you cannot fully process or question it. In areas where the literacy is higher, there’s more of a chance that people will understand satire that is presented to them.

Satire is an element of free speech under the First Amendment. It’s something not a lot of people may like — especially if the satire is directed at them in some way — but media outlets, theater and anyone who lives in a country that has free speech has the right to satirize and editorialize anyone and anything.

Anyone who is affected from satire also has the right to respond, however the attacks that happened in Charlie Hebdo’s offices should have not been the answer. If a person is looking for a way to respond to being mocked they should do it with words and conversation not weapons and death.