Let's talk Satire

     The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defined satire as  "a way of using humor to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, bad, etc; or it is a kind of humor that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc." With the Filipinos' affinity with the use of humor as a coping mechanism, the use of satire is definitely something that is gaining popularity in our modern age.

    Satirical news portals such as "So, What's News" is a good example. It is an accessible source of political news and issues broken down and presented in a different way, the ridiculous way. These kinds of news sources shed a different light over the daily serving of gore and disappointments that is headline news. In a way, the use of humor helps the common Pinoy deal with all the heartbreaking realities that are ever present in his life. If one thinks about it, it so much like staring the ugliness in the face and laughing at it.


     Most may read these sources mainly to be informed, however the others come back for more because it offers escape and an opportunity to poke fun at the issues we as a nation have to stomach every day. An under qualified individual topped the senatorial race? No worries, here comes the memes. The exposure corruption of the public fund? Let's draw in the curtains and make it a public spectacle. The nation's executive head not liking the judiciary's decision on deeming a lump sum fund unconstitutional and goes into a tongue lashing tirade? Get the popcorn and let's make ourselves comfortable while he's making a fool out of himself. Satirical news reporting makes all of these news somehow palpable instead of giving us that all too familiar heavy feeling in our stomach when our public officials found another clever way of telling us we wasted another ballot on them.

     Whether to entertain, to mock or as means of escape, this type of news reporting encourages us, the readers, to be more skeptical, to think more, to not be just satisfied with what is offered to us by the mainstream media. It is high time for us to be filters of all the information presented to us and be scrutinizing at every point. However with the possibility of serious news not taken seriously or satire news taken too keenly, it is reiterated that everything should be taken with a grain of salt. The common Pinoy is not, and should not be at any point be, common. Our times call for us to be vigilant while remaining good humored regardless of what we are facing. That is how we do it anyway, right? Confront the problem, laugh at it, dust ourselves off and try again.