Though Thomas Jefferson never said, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism,” the well-applied use of satire is certainly one of the highest forms of dissent.  Jonathan Swift, after all, is more remembered for his grim irony in castigating the British and Irish for their collective humanitarian failures than for any contributions to the culinary arts.

Mad Magazine reigns supreme in creating a satirical crucible through which all subjects, social, cultural, political, artistic and philosophical typically pass.  The difference between valid satire and mere mockery being, of course, the elements of truth contained therein, it is sometimes difficult to rule out former as as being buried so deeply in the latter as to be inconsequential, particularly during political campaigns.  The editors of Mad would likely say that if such a line is drawn, they erase it, but nonetheless credibility rests on facts in satirical endeavors, humor being in the manner of delivery.  (more…)

Iowahawk hit the paremiology on the head with his collection of proverbs last week, aptly enlightening American audiences about the truths and practical precepts of various Third World tribes, whose proverbial collective experiences are infinitely more liberating and inspiring than those of the so-called Dead White European Males (DWEM) – the useless inventors of an offensive culture with dull, dysfunctional proverbs.

Yet we would like to offer a small correction. The above view utterly disregards the recent progress made in our culture, most recently allowing the Western civilization to catch up with the more advanced tribes of the multicultural community. Obsessive revisionism and self-loathing, sacrificing the individual to the collective, consolidation of power in the hands of a strong central government, and the cult of a godlike leader have rightfully made us an equal member among the wonderfully diverse Third World countries. Miracles abound. One of them is the spontaneous supplanting of the misleading ex-proverbs of the shameful past, with correct neo-proverbs that properly reflect the current truth in accordance with the regularly updated political context. (more…)