How would you account for the relative ascendancy of sarcasm and descent of satire?

Question

in contemporary literature, and in the media and social interaction in general?

Does this have something to do with the limited attention span of 21st century man? Is it related to Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Can we blame it all on that and Ritalin? Does it date back to August 1, 1981, the fateful date when MTV began broadcasting? Or does it go back to the earliest sitcoms or the advent of television itself? Does it perhaps predate even television?

Please share your views. I am open to controversy, welcome it in fact. Is my supposition itself full of holes? Tell me so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritalin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV

Trick orTreat: I have not been to live theater or music lately. I am stunned but not all that surprised by your perceptive observation. Thank you.

johnslat: I am in entire agreement with what you wrote here. But I must tell you in the initial responses to this question (which I intentionally place in 3 different categories to get a broader sampling of perspectives) I find many with just the opposite view, i.e., who equate "sarcasm" with intelligence and "satire" with slapstick. I suspect though that these individuals are referring to TV "satire" (read "not really satire at all") and not to the written word.

Answer 1

Good satire requires a deep understanding of the subject matter and, often, an equally deep, though usually masked, affection for it (Swift was a master and I suspect that, underneath all the bite, he loved humanity - it was just those individual humans that drove him crazy.)
Sarcasm is fast and dirty - not even necessarily on target, but uttered or written mainly to get attention.
The short-attention span is, in my opinion, more a symptom of the problem rather than a cause (though it likely abets it.) Life itself has become much more fast-paced in much of the world. and perhaps technology can bear a lot of the blame. Many of the inventions over the past 125 years or so, ironically created in large measure to "make life easier" have instead all too often made it more complicated and time-consuming (and I definitely include the computer in that assessment.)
But that's the way it always goes - there's never an upside without a downside (and vice versa.)
Satire is a slow-cooked seven course meal whereas sarcasm is fast-food. And in the hectic, helter-skelter rat-race of the modern world, McDs. Burger King, etc. rule.

Answer 2

I agree with Johnslat. Sarcasm doesn't take a lot to get, whereas Satire requires thinking, BUT I also think this generation is more sarcastic to begin with.

Occasionally, there manages to be something that can combine the two (South Park, even though it can be crude, can often combine sarcasm and satire and make it work.) and then a lot of other people try and fail so they go back to being simply sarcastic.

Answer 3

The ascendancy of sarcasm is the result of a general coarsening of the culture as evidenced in contemporary media, dress, language, and values. Moreover, sarcasm is easy for lazy people to spit out and does not require the subtlety of language, the finesse, and the ability to recognize and convey analogy that satire does. Too few people today have acquired the delicate wit and precision of language that satire requires, largely the result of the decline in education of careful and precise expression.

Answer 4

Sarcasm - like Cynicism..shows a degeneration of the Human spirit. Life is, as it is....life won't get any better..so lets make fun of/degrade it.

SATIRE - Celibrates what is present in culture, and makes fun of it. Not with a thought of changing it, just celebrating the travesty of it.

Answer 5

Great question!

They don't have critical thinking skills sufficient to understand satire and like it's blander counsin. sarcasm/

I blame television, fast food and sound byte news.

Have you been to live theater or music lately? The audience doesn't seem to understand they aren't watching Tivo, and they talk through the whole performance.