Importance of Satire

   The other day in class, and actually while I'm writing this, I'm watching the Daily Show with John Stewart. Colbert was on earlier too, which I'm a massive fan of as well. I was always a fan of both, and I'll admit most of that time was for the comedy alone. That being said, the more I watch both, the more I realize the importance of the role they serve in our culture. Satire's importance, maybe now more than ever, cannot be understated.
   Comedians are a great example. Given, a good amount of them are basically meaningless other than for entertainment purposes. And there's nothing wrong with that honestly, that's essential to culture too. But I've always thought there was something unfortunately overlooked in a comedians ability to give the reality of a situation, or rather highlight it, all while causing joy in their audience. A lot of time this reality is presented crudely for the shock factor alone, even though today "shock value" is less of a shock and more of a formula. What I'm really trying to say is that comedians, while undoubtedly more crude and less obvious towards it, serve the exact purpose that any other worthwhile artists does, whether it be a writer or a painter. They reveal and highlight areas of our culture that wouldn't occur to most, they give perspective, they inform, all while pulling the exact emotions they want out of their audience.
   All art, at its core, serves fundamentally the same function. Even comedy. The Daily Show and Colbert Report are two examples of backlashes towards what I consider one of our cultures biggest issues; the failure to recognize what's ridiculous. And being just that, these shows and similar comedians around the country serve as important a role as any other modern art reflecting our lives. If we don't make fun of ourselves we stop realizing how much we really should.