here is the next salvo of entries from my unpublished novel, Empire's Fall. now the going begins to get rough as contentious subject matter and language is introduced. the geiger counter begins to twitch!
the pieces were not created to inflame, but they were meant to provoke meaningful discussion. i've always been a fan of cringeworthy moments in drama. they're invariably consciousness raising. i've always learned something about myself from my visceral reactions to uncomfortable circumstances described in fiction. such works allow sharp realization of what exactly I'm about from inside the safety of my own head. such works fail if all that is illuminated is the author's personal biases. this is why The Daily Show on Comedy Central works and The 1/2 Hour News Hour on Fox did not.
i've long felt that mockery is the tactic of the oppressor, while satire is the tactic of the oppressed. like any bully, mockery is lazy, craven and shallow. like any hero, satire is industrious, intrepid and profound. satire requires comprehensive knowledge of the targeted subject in order for it to truly work; for mockery to work, one need only make farting noises.
onward!