The #1 Rule of Satire
If the people you are claiming to mock can use your image to straight-facedly support their own argument/cause, then you’ve failed.
Case in point. Note that I’m linking to this as it is a perfect example of what not to do. The image in question is undoubtably racist and deplorable. (I don’t approve of anything else you might find at this guy’s website either.)
What I find so interesting about this is that it’s the New Yorker cover all over again, just on a smaller scale. But because it didn’t get the attention that the New Yorker did, this time a racist group found it, misunderstood that it was intended as “satire,” and published the image in their newsletter.
The lesson here is: if you want to mock racism, then satirize racists, not race.
Posted: October 22, 2008 at 10:22 am.
