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Satire in Rap

The song "All Gold Everything" is a song about a rapper who says his watch and jewelry are all gold. In the music video the rapper Trinidad James is walking around the neighborhood with all gold chains and rings and watches, and is also riding a bike with all gold rims. The song is very stupid and repetitive. There is a parody of it called all ashy everywhere. This parody is very funny and has allot of satire in it. For instance in the person playing Trinidad James is ashy and is fat and has the candy rings on his fingers and toes. I think this video is
verbal irony because he is twisting the words from all gold to all ashy and the verses are similar besides they are about ash not gold. This video is very funny and think it’s a perfect example of irony in rap and how normal people made this video. The chorus goes all ash on my body instead of all gold on me.

 

Pandora Satire

 

    Over the years SNL has used many instances of satire in many of their skits. They have continously made people laugh by saying things that are funny and, to some extent, true. My favorite use of satire in SNL was when Bruno Mars has to sing songs from different artists when the website, Pandora, crashes. Bruno sings the songs in a way that isn't true but at the same time is true. He puts on the persona of the artist and their style of singing and it is very funny. Bruno has to do his impression to Green Day, Katy Perry, Aerosmith, and Michael Jackson. Big ups to Bruno Mars in this skit. He shows us how people view and see these different artists in society. Some people might think these Impressionsare a little off, but I think they are spot on. It puts into perspective the way different people are. This has nothing to do with race or any of the big satire categories, but it is a great example of satire in SNL.  Hilarious!

Rodney King

Rodney King was an African-American construction worker who, while on parole for robbery, became nationally known after being beaten with excessive force by Los Angelos Police Dapartment  for being "black". He had injuries, from the head down to his feet. They almost beat him to death. He had servire injuries and a bad recovery. It was five police men beating on him, while the policemen beat on him, they said " im going to kill you nigger", repeatively. The people that lived nearby was watching him get beat, and one man took out his phone to record this inncedient. After the man got it on tape, they took it to the court to sue the LAPD for harrassing and beating Rodney King almost to death. Now, imagine, they are beating him harshly and calling him racial names at the same time. Eventually all of this went through the court, and the court announced the police men of Los Angelos innocent. There was a big riot where as the blacks in Los Angelos up rised and started to attack police men, white people in general, and they also burnt down buildings to show the court and the world that black people need justice and equal rights. Even a blind man could see that the court didnt rule this fairly. This is complete irony because, the police is suppose to protect all people, but it's actually hurting an entire race when this happened. Also, we are now into the 21st century and most people dont look at racist anymore because there isnt as much violence about it going on in the open like it use to be back in the slavery time and early and late 1900's. But yet, as we see the Rodney King inncident, the white man still over powers the black man when clearly the white police officers were in the wrong and not Rodney King.

Satire in The Boondocks

 

The citcom "The Boondocks" portrays satire in the forms of sarcasm, parodies, and more common within the show, exaggeration. The Boondocks contains every stereotypical character that's ever existed within the african american community, starting from Uncle Tom, which in this citcom has been renamed "Uncle Rukus" because of his loud mouth, and excessive ignorant and unbelivably ignorant comments, expanding to the Brute Character, whose name is Riley. The exaggeration of races, events, and razor sharp exposure of subjects once categorized as sensitive, have gained notariety, and responses, both negative and positive, from Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, and Al Sharpton, who have all been featured in the show at one time or another. The portrayal of people within the media who are usually accredited for their storng minds, or lack there of, are extremely exaggerated, which provide the audience with an ironic and different view, of someone who is usually loved and, well spoken of, into, the truth. In Season 1, episode 6, Gangstalicious is introduced as a Gangsta rapper, who's endured a rough life, and engages in violence, and activity described as riskier, is discovered later in the show, as gay. The thought of such a masculine figure within the music industry, revealing a truth of engagement with homosexuality, is a thought that was once, among us, as the consumers of their products, listeners of their music, and beliefs of their initial portrayal, as brutal, robust, and overall "Gangsters." But, the revelation of R&B singer, and member of OFWGKTA, Frank Ocean's bisexuality, as exhibited just how true, although satirical, the citcom the boondocks really turns out to be.

The Satire

This week we were asked to blog about satire in pop culture. I decided to do mine on the tv sitcom Seinfeld, and what better episode than "The Marine Biologist". Now if you're not familiar with the show here's a bit of backround information, it's a show based on four friends who all live in New York and basically it's a show about nothing. Yeah that explains it well enough. In this episode Jerry tells a girl friend of his that he runs into on the street about George and how he is a marine biologist, here's the catch George is unemployed and the only reason Jerry thinks he's into marine biology is because George saw a special on tv about whales. Any way long story short the girl becomes interested in George and they go on a few dates. Here's where the satire comes in, in order to understand you should watch the clip.

The satire that is used in this episode is situational irony, a hint of sarcasm, and some hyperbole. The sarcasm comes when Kramer comes in and asks George and Jerry if they want to have some fun and George responds "I'm just saying I want to have fun.". This is sarcasm because of the tone George uses.

The situational irony however is used during the end of the episode when George is forced to save a whale because he pretended to be a marine biologist and there just so happens to be a beached whale. During his ending speech is when he starts to use hyperbole by over selling the whole situation. "The sea was angry with me that day my friends...He was 10 stories high if he was a foot!" Also when he pulls out the golf ball I believe is some more situational irony. If he just pulled out a golf ball and we didn't know that Kramer was golfing into the ocean then it wouldn't be so funny, but since they show him hitting them into the ocean we can laugh because the odds of the one golf ball Kramer hit lands in a whale and George just so happens to be there and pretending to be a marine biologist is pretty ironic.

Yatta yatta yatta there are three types of satire used in this episode. Situaional irony, sarcasm, and hyperbole.

Combined Stereotypes

"Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls" is a black girl imitating what a stereotypical white girl would say to a black girl.  In this video they use a lot of hyperbole. She exaggerates what white girls actually say to make people laugh. What is interesting about this is that while she is bringing the stereotypes of what white girls say, she combines it with the stereotypes of what the stereotypical black girls would say and do. For example she says "is this real" while pretending to point to hair. She is simultaneously stereotyping both white girls and black at the same time. When it comes to comedy race is involved in a lot of satire. This video is only one of many. 

South Park Raises the Bar on Satire

South Park has always been one to make fun of current events. In this episode, Kyle and Cartman get into an argument about Cartman's weight. After some insults Kyle says that Cartman will need a Rascal if he keeps getting fatter. Cartman takes this as a suggestion and aquires one. Even with the rascal Cartman says he isn't white trash like Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson from the show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. After watching this for the first time Kyle is bewildered at how the family acts and states that society has lowered the bar so much that people actually watch this crap. To make a satire of this, they have world renowned director James Cameron on an ocean voyage trying to find the so called "bar." After diving over 30,000 feet in a submarine, Cameron finds the bar at the bottom of the ocean and hooks it on to his sub and starts surfacing fast. Meanwhile people are watching the Honey Boo Boo show and as the bar is lifting people start to realize how stupid the actual show is and start to walk away in disgust. This episode makes a satire of today's T.V and society. It shows the crap and garbage that is fed to us from the media. The whole episode is a satire of today's society and media. 

Apu From The Simpson's

Satire in American Culture is more common than you think. An example is Apu from the “The Simpsons”. He is an Indian owner of a store called the Quickie Mart which is a parody of a 711. This character makes fun of the common stereotype that 711’s and quick food marts are run by cheap Indian people.

Abu is the stereotypical Indian store owner. He often will say stereotypical things like, “Thank you come again” in an Indian accent. An example of an understatement is when he tells homer he only got robbed and shot twice in the last week. This would be a huge deal in real life but it’s making fun of the ideology that 711’s get robbed a lot. An example of a hyperbole is when he says homer is the only one who eats the hotdogs which have been on the stand for two years. Obviously they would be tainted and discarded of in real life but it’s making fun of 711’s cheap hot dogs. My final example of a satire is the Slurpee machine which is making fun of a 711 slushy and big gulp.

The satire in Apu is not for meaningless humor. It’s showing how ridiculous the stereotypes America has on Indian people are. It’s using humor to open the minds of the ignorant and is breaking barriers through unconventional ways.

Grown Ups or Grown children

In the movie, "Grown Ups" There is alot of satire going on throughout the whole movie. The movie includes actors David spade, Chris Rock, Adam sandler, kevin James, Rob Schnieder, Maya Rudolph, Steve Buscemi, Salma Hayek, and Maria Bello. All of these actors have there own personality and humor. the first 4 names i named are probably the funniest people in the world. They included alot of satire in this movie. If you have never seen this movie it is hilarious. almost in every seem there is an example of satire from every one of them! The movie starts with a flash back to when they were kids and they won the middle school championship and 30 years later they all find out that their old coach dies. They reunite at the funeral and start making fun of eachother and laughing about it. sometimes it is raceial comments, weight comments, or just looks comments. I think in every seen they are making some funny/rude comment to eachother and making fun of eachother. Their is no funniest person in this movie becasue everyone is so funny.

 

Contemporary Satire in American Culture

The blogging assignment for American Studies this week is to discuss a work of contemporary American satire -- a film, TV show, song, etc, from the last few years that uses the techniques of satire to make a larger point about society.  Even though we are in a unit on constructing race, your example does not need to involve race as its primary subject matter.

Your post should include the following:

1. A summary of the work of culture -- maybe including a link to a video or lyrics.
2. An analysis of how the work uses techniques of satire -- irony, hyperbole, understatement, and/or parody.
3. An analysis of how the work is not simply making fun of certain people or institutions but how the work is trying to criticize and ultimately change society. 

Note that we're asking you to do more than just #1 -- giving us an example.  You need to analyze that example.

And remember to also comment on two of your classmates' posts as well.

Wacky Packs

 

Wacky Pack cards are cards that show parodies of different products in modern day and take a spin on them and make them into funnier items that sell the same things. This is a parody because it is making fun of something that already exists and making it into a joke or a piece of satire. This product is satire because it critizes the products that we have and how we use them and how they can be turned into something completely ridiculous!

South Park Parody

In this South Park episode, they have a parody of The Wheel of Fortune.  In the episode there is a white man that is at the final puzzle and the category is people who annoy you.  They give him the letters "ers" at the end of the word and when he says his letters there is only one missing letter so it says N-GGERS.  This parody shows racism against African Americans by having the guy guess niggers and it turns out the answer is naggers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvULaoH2WoU 

Stereotype Parody

http://www.metrolyrics.com/white-nerdy-lyrics-weird-al-yankovic.html

Within this song performed by entertainer Weird Al Yankovic titled "White and Nerdy" he does a very good job of creating a parody of stereotypes placed on both white and black people. This is a parody and not just simple humor because he changes the lyrics and feel of an original song done by black rapper Chamillionaire. He changes lyrics throughout the song from phrases such as "Ridin dirty" to "White and nerdy" and "They see me rollin" to "They see me mowin"

Lil Wayne Parody

 

The song above is an imitation of the music artist Lil Wayne. If you listen closely you can clearly hear the similarities between the two songs."A Mili" by Lil Wayne. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Uhn-dU3Gg )  This is Funny to our modern day society because is it so obvious it is a rip off of Lil Wayne's song. It is a perfect example of a parody.

Satire (Hyperbole) - Roll Bounce

The movie Roll Bounce, was released in 2005. Starring Bow Wow and many others. In this particular scene, main character Xavier (Bow Wow) is running late bringing the trash to the curb. Local sanitation men (Charlie Murphy & Mike Epps) are waiting, having anticipated his tardiness. As they apporach to collect the trash, they collabortively set out to teach him a lesson on getting the trash out in time. In this "lecture," both men exagerrate to the point of utmost unbelief. Their lecture is clearly the hyperbolic form of satire. Both men tell of how Xavier's tardiness will lead to their unemployment and oppressed lives.