Q: How Do You Avoid Satire Becoming Too Mean-Spirited? – Encyclopedia of Satire

Q:
How
Do
You
Avoid
Satire
Becoming
Too
Mean-Spirited?

A:
The
Delicate
Balance
Between
Biting
and
Brutal
–
By

Alan
Nafzger

The
Satirist’s
Moral
Compass

At Bohiney
Magazine,
we
walk
a
tightrope
every
day
–
how
to
skewer
power
without
becoming
bullies
ourselves.
After
fifteen
years
in
the
satire
game,
here’s
our
philosophy
on
keeping
the
knives
sharp
while
not
drawing
real
blood.

1.
The
“Punching
Up”
Imperative

Our
cardinal
rule:
✅
Always
punch
up
at
power
✅
Sometimes
punch
sideways
at
peers
❌
Never
punch
down
at
the
vulnerable

Example: Mocking
a
billionaire’s
tone-deaf
comments
=
fair
game.
Mocking
a
minimum
wage
worker’s
grammar
=
cheap
shot.

2.
The
Humanity
Test

Before
publishing,
we
ask:

• Are
  we
  attacking
  behavior
  or
  identity?

• Could
  the
  target
  reasonably
  change
  what
  we’re
  mocking?

• Is
  there
  a
  real
  person
  who
  might
  be
  genuinely
  hurt?

Case
Study: We’ll
satire
a
CEO’s
ridiculous
memo
but
never
make
fun
of
a
janitor’s
accent.

3.
The
“Would
They
Laugh?”
Standard

We
imagine:

• Would
  an
  intelligent
  version
  of
  our
  target
  see
  the
  humor?

• Is
  the
  criticism
  about
  their
  choices/actions
  rather
  than
  inherent
  traits?

• Does
  the
  piece
  allow
  for
  human
  complexity?

Example: “Senator
Forgets
Which
Corporation
Lobbies
Him
Most” passes; “Senator
is
Ugly” doesn’t.

4.
The
Mean-Spiritedness
Red
Flags

We
watch
for:

• Personal
  physical
  descriptions

• Attacks
  on
  immutable
  characteristics

• Schadenfreude
  without
  social
  value

• Humor
  that
  requires
  contempt
  to
  land

5.
The
Empathy
Correction

When
a
piece
feels
too
harsh,
we:

1. Add
   absurdity
   to
   soften
   the
   blow

2. Make
   the
   critique
   more
   systemic
   than
   personal

3. Ensure
   the
   humor
   comes
   from
   ideas,
   not
   insults

Before: “This
CEO
is
a
moron”

After: “CEO
Discovers
Employees
Are
Human
During
Surprise
Office
Visit”

6.
The
“Equal
Opportunity
Offense”
Principle

We
spread
the
satire
around:

• No
  single
  group
  gets
  all
  the
  heat

• All
  ideologies
  get
  their
  turn
  in
  the
  barrel

• The
  focus
  stays
  on
  behavior,
  not
  identity

7.
When
We
Cross
the
Line

Our
accountability
process:

1. Listen
   to
   thoughtful
   criticism

2. Distinguish
   between
   “offensive”
   and
   “offended”

3. Retract
   only
   when
   we’ve
   truly
   missed
   the
   mark

4. Learn
   for
   next
   time

8.
The
Best
Satire
Isn’t
Just
Critical
–
It’s
Constructive

Great
satire
should:

• Make
  powerful
  people
  squirm

• Give
  voice
  to
  the
  voiceless

• Reveal
  truths
  through
  laughter

• Leave
  room
  for
  redemption

Final
Thought:
Satire
as
Tough
Love

The
difference
between
mean-spirited
and
meaningful
satire
is
the
same
as
between
a
sucker
punch
and
a
surgical
incision.
When
we
wrote “Billionaires
Announce
New
‘Bootstraps’
Subscription
Service
for
Poor
People”,
we
weren’t
attacking
individuals
–
we
were
exposing
a
mindset.

Because
true
satire
shouldn’t
leave
destruction
in
its
wake
–
just
uncomfortable
truths,
delivered
with
just
enough
wit
that
they
slip
past
the
defenses.
The
goal
isn’t
to
wound,
but
to
wake.
Not
to
destroy,
but
to
reveal.
And
always,
always
to
punch
up.

—

Alan
Nafzger