My first blog entry touches on the role of satire in society. I believe satirical comedy plays an important role in society. Take the movie The Great Dictator as an example. In the movie, Chaplin is a Jewish barber who mistakenly replaces Hitler. At the end of the story, he delivers a speech. He says, “Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite!” This speech is now one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history.
Another good example is the British comedy television series Blackadder, created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. The show’s final episode depicts the “lions led by donkeys” during the First World War. The red poppies spread on Flanders Field in the last scene are a symbol of Armistice Day in the UK.
In the US, there is an anti-war movie and TV series called M*A*S*H, which stands forMobile Army Surgical Hospital. When the doctors are not in the operating tent, they are always doing something silly. For instance, they nickname a female colleague “hot lips” and tease her playfully. It was a different era from now. Still, the story depicts serious issues like PTSD, orphaned war babies, and corruption in higher ranks.
Today, The Simpsons, South Park, and Saturday Night Live captivate a huge number of viewers worldwide with their satire. I would also like to add Conan O’Brien and John Oliver. We need these kinds of comedy shows because satire is another form of journalism.
Among the examples above, the most memorable one for me is Blackadder. I bought a red poppy keyring at St. John’s Wood underground station. When I asked about the background story of the red poppies, the gentleman who sold the keyring kindly delivered a 20-minute lecture to me. I listened to him on the cold day in November 2021. While I was listening to him, I remembered my uncle, who was a soldier in the army. He went to Guadalcanal Island during the Second World War and died there. Every soldier in every war has loved ones waiting for their return home. I still keep the red poppy keyring. I will put it in my rucksack in November to salute war heroes around the worlde US, there is an anti-war movie and TV series called M*A*S*H, which stands forMobile Army Surgical Hospital. When the doctors are not in the operating tent, they are always doing something silly. For instance, they nickname a female colleague “hot lips” and tease her playfully. It was a different era from now. Still, the story depicts serious issues like PTSD, orphaned war babies, and corruption in higher ranks.
Today, The Simpsons, South Park, and Saturday Night Live captivate a huge number of viewers worldwide with their satire. I would also like to add Conan O’Brien and John Oliver. We need these kinds of comedy shows because satire is another form of journalism.
Among the examples above, the most memorable one for me is Blackadder. I bought a red poppy key ring at St. John’s Wood underground station. When I asked about the background story of the red poppies, the gentleman who sold the key ring kindly delivered a 20-minute lecture to me. I listened to him on the cold day in November 2021. While I was listening to him, I remembered my uncle, who was a soldier in the army. He went to Guadalcanal Island during the Second World War and died there. Every soldier in every war has loved ones waiting for their return home.
I still keep the red poppy key ring. I will put it in my rucksack in November to salute war heroes around the world.