sat·ire
[ˈsatʌɪə]
noun
the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues:
My eye was caught recently by a TikTok from comedian Joe Lycett. Apart from being a big fan of him personally, I am also a fan of Lycett’s political stunts, and this was another one. Lycett had stated in a TikTok that he was suing musician Harry Styes for a Kitkat Chunky Peanut butter, due to the singer not paying him for a (questionable) portrait Lycett had done of him. He then goes on to say in a follow-up Tiktok that he is no longer suing Styles, saying “no-one should ever sue Harry Styles in the same way you should never sue, I don’t know, Greenpeace. But guess what?! Oil giant, Shell, ARE suing Greenpeace for millions of dollars”. This is in reference to the legal case which Shell are taking against Greenpeace for a peaceful protest they held last year against the company. Lycett goes on to say that he will be selling his original portrait of Harry Styles on t-shirts to support the Greenpeace legal fees against shell.
Now, the TikToks were very light-hearted and funny but do not take away from the seriousness of the issue. Lycett used comedy - and a stunt - to draw in an audience. This isn’t the first time he has done this. In November 2023 he shredded £10K in protest of the Qatar world cup, in particular David Beckham’s involvement in it. Many people boycotted the Qatar World Cup over the country’s treatment of LGBTQIA+ people, particularly their laws criminalising same-sex relationships. Eventually, Lycett admitted he did not actually shred the money but instead donated it to an LGBTQIA+ charity. In a video he posted about the shredding he admitted the money going into the shredder was real, but the shredded money coming out was not. He said: "In fact, the ten grand had already been donated...before I even pressed send on the initial tweet last week."
Comedy is often used in political narratives to sometimes point out the ludicrous nature of situations, or to make the political issues more understandable. I was having this conversation with my partner recently. We were discussing political theatre, which is a form of drama that uses theatre and narratives to inspire socio-political change. In our conversations we found that both of us were more drawn to comedic theatre than anything else, and that most of the effective political theatre we have seen is comedy, or at least has some comedy woven in it. Now this isn’t always the case, and sometimes comedy is not an appropriate tool to explore certain topics. However, it can be powerful to think about using laughter to communicate political messages.
I have spoken before about ‘Spitting Image’ in the ‘Puppets and Protest’ blog. This is a prime example of using satire in popular culture to explore politics. First broadcast in the 1980s, ‘Spitting Image’ uses caricatures of politicians in skits about the UK government. Cartoons, puppets, memes, TikToks are all used to criticise those in power and those we disagree with, although it is not a new concept.
I was recently at Oskar Schindler’s factory in Krakow, which has now been turned into a museum exploring the history of the city. Whilst there, I spotted on the wall a piece of anti-Hitler propaganda from 1940, which made me giggle to myself, entitled “Find the fifth pig”. When folded the pigs merge together to form a portrait of Hitler! 
Comedy has for a long time been used as a tool for knowledge and truth. Let’s take a moment to investigate the structures of some of Shakespeare’s plays. It is often the ‘Fool’ who not only acts as comedic relief but is also often the only one who can tell the truth to the protagonist. ‘King Lear’ is my favourite Shakespeare play (if you’ve read other Creative Protest blogs, you’ll have seen I’ve mentioned it before!), and in this play, it is the Fool who always tells Lear the truth. By hiding behind his humorous façade, he is able be honest where other characters cannot, for fear of being banished. Other characters do try, like Kent or Cordelia, but both were sent away from his kingdom as a result. The Fool succeeds where others fail because he uses comedy as a vessel for delivering the truth.
Comedy can also be a powerful tool for drawing people together during divisive times. During my time at drama school, we had a guest lecture from a woman who now works for community theatre company Collective Encounters, and had run clowning workshops with Catholic and Protestant children during the Troubles in Ireland. This was less about creating political messages through laughter, but instead using laughter to rise above political unsettlements.
Whether it’s a meme, a panel show, a TikTok or a play, comedy is being used to display political messages probably more than you realise. Laughter not only makes politics understandable and enjoyable but can also bring people together. Perhaps if we could all have a bit more of a laugh, politics wouldn’t be such a divisive world.