Controversy: The Role Of Satire In Modern Day America

Satire can have many serious repercussions, including public backlash. Though satire can come off offensive, it is paramount to not censor who we are as people. Many comedies have and can cross the line of what people find acceptable in modern day America. Albeit our constitution guarantees the right to liberation of speech, it is often challenged by the public who find some satirical comedy to be morally disputable. As our society grows, so does our consciousness on what is politically correct and falls under our moral values. As of 1776, our expressive rights have been laid out in our constitution. Often satire can cause controversy and can even, in extreme cases leads to violence. Since satire can be interpreted in many contrasting ways, people argue over the meaning of the satirical content which can potentially raise red flags.

About one year ago a mass shooting took place in the charlie hebdo magazine building. Satire when misinterpreted can impact the lives of many. If the islamic group had understood the concept of what the author was attempting to convey the lives of many could have been spared. The shooter were outfitted with strike rifles and different weapons, they slaughtered 11 individuals and harmed 11 others in the building. In the midst of leaving, they killed a French Police officer outside the office. The shooters announced themselves as having a place with the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda, who later assumed responsibility for the assault. After the deaths of the shooter many expression such as Je suis turned into a typical motto of the new issues of Charlie Hebdo. Je suis is french term used in many famous protests to show support for freedom of speech, and tolerance of satire. The staff of the magazine proceeded with the controversial images, and the accompanying issue print ran about 7.95 million copies in six different languages, as opposed to its normal print of 60,000 in just