04-06-2009, 09:58 PM
Humor, parody and satire are great tools, and they are tough to create with a high-level of craftmanship, punch, efficacy and carrying/staying power, and luckily we have plenty of good models. One that comes readily to mind is the T-shirts I've seen with pictures of Native American warriors and the text "the original Homeland Security department".
This reminds me of the day after we were shoiwn the ancient and venerable documentary "Nanook of the North"; the very next day, we had the high school principal and superintendent in high amusement when they came to see what the ruckus was all about after we surprised our AP English teacher by improvised play-acting, at the very beginning of the class, of the newsmen Walter Crankit and Harry Unreasonable interviewing Nanook of the North. Irreverence is acerbic. The harpoon prop hung on the wall behind the teacher's desk for years.
The key question, I guess, is how much acid should be applied: certainly it should be enough to wear away the dull polish of mediated spin and lackadaisical attitude, just enough to show that there is really a nice wood grain of truth beneath all that wax and varnish, just enough to get people to begin to think, but not too much to get them to feel that the impetus for the irreverence is anything but love of people, community, a better possibility. Otherwise, they turn against you, harden and re-confirm their thought and allegiance, and strengthen their resolve.
This reminds me of the day after we were shoiwn the ancient and venerable documentary "Nanook of the North"; the very next day, we had the high school principal and superintendent in high amusement when they came to see what the ruckus was all about after we surprised our AP English teacher by improvised play-acting, at the very beginning of the class, of the newsmen Walter Crankit and Harry Unreasonable interviewing Nanook of the North. Irreverence is acerbic. The harpoon prop hung on the wall behind the teacher's desk for years.
The key question, I guess, is how much acid should be applied: certainly it should be enough to wear away the dull polish of mediated spin and lackadaisical attitude, just enough to show that there is really a nice wood grain of truth beneath all that wax and varnish, just enough to get people to begin to think, but not too much to get them to feel that the impetus for the irreverence is anything but love of people, community, a better possibility. Otherwise, they turn against you, harden and re-confirm their thought and allegiance, and strengthen their resolve.
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"