This is a Guest Post by TallahasseeScene’s Tiffany Battle.
A few weeks ago, Dakota Johnson, the star of “50 Shades of Grey,” hosted “Saturday Night Live.”
In one of the sketches, a spoof commercial, Johnson plays a young girl who is dropped off somewhere by her dad. The commercial is a parody of a Toyota Camry ad in which a father is bidding his daughter farewell before she joins the U.S. Military. However, in the spoof we see a wildly different twist.
In SNL’s version, the daughter is joining ISIS, a Islamic militant group known for slaughtering innocent people. Yes, SNL was mocking a terrorist group.
Via: Clash Daily
Not surprisingly, this was met by complete and utter outrage by viewers. Twitter exploded with angry remarks about the sketch. How could they mock something so serious? After all, ISIS and its followers have killed people. How could they joke about this?
At first, I, too, was schocked, but also concerned. My first concern was for the families who have lost their loved ones due to ISIS conflicts and attacks.
However, I am aware that SNL was not directly mocking their pain. It’s understandable that people would immediately get defensive and assume that this parody was hurtful to victims and their families. But that just wasn’t the case.
One of the most important rules for any comedian is to remain tasteful when presenting their jokes.
For instance, had SNL shown ISIS decapitating their victims, that would have been a very different situation. It all depends on who or what the skit is mocking, and since SNL was clearly making a joke out of ISIS and their recruiting tactics, I believe it was funny and accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It was cutting ISIS down by saying, “No one takes you seriously. You have no power.”
Even the writing on the side of the militant vehicle in the spoof is a joke. Translated, it reads, “I love cats.”
Via: Natty Bongo
SNL has never had a shortage of angry fingers pointed at them for “crossing the line,” and that begs the question, “Where is the line?” How far is too far? How soon is too soon?
Satire is an incredibly useful and clever tactic,, but it must be executed carefully. I remember watching the SNL “Through the Years” video where it was stated that after 9/11, the crew had to figure out how to host their show in a way that wouldn’t ignore the events completely, but also wouldn’t be disrespectful.
Some people would prefer difficult and controversial topics in our society to be off-limits for comedy and satire, but when there is a tragedy and the whole world is mourning, it is important to laugh.
For example, satire about ISIS is still being performed in Iraq despite the fact that the lives of the comedians participating are in serious danger. This is because these people hold the view that it’s cathartic for people to laugh instead of to constantly live in fear, and that laughing can sometimes help alleviate stress associated with a difficult topic.
Via: Fansided
However, I can’t help but think that many people are worried that satire like this will desensitize us as a society. I do agree that a small dose of fear is necessary because it’s always a good idea to be aware of the severity of some situation, such as ISIS. But letting that fear silence you is where the danger comes into play.
Like any extreme terrorist group, ISIS feeds off of fear. They have been accomplishing their goals of scaring the living shit out of everyone pretty well as of recently. Execution by beheading? Bombing mosques? Their intense hatred for anyone who isn’t “one of them” is terrifying.
But to literally mock them and throw their scare tactics back in their faces, and then respond with laughter? That might just be crazy enough to convey a strong message.
At least that’s what the fearless folks over at SNL had in mind.
Featured photo courtesy of: AOL
