Entertainment as Politics Essay

As time goes by, many changes have been observable in the world. The various events that are happening show the development of different aspects in the society. One of the most observable modifications is the development of the perspective or frame of mind of people with regard to their opinion about the issues that affect them. Political concerns are still among the primary subject matter that people usually engaged themselves in. This interest is mostly evident in the older generation because the young members of the population tend to show little interest up to the point of apathy with regard to such matter. Most of the youth of today are more concerned with the latest video games, fashion style, and different trends rather than politics. However, the improvement in technology especially in the field of communication has made it possible to reach out to this younger generation in order to encourage them to actively participate in political matters that greatly affect their lives. However, the technological advances in communication are not the only factor that contributes to encouraging the young adults to engage themselves in political matters because creativity and innovativeness also play an important role. The different programs in television especially talk shows and comedy shows are the outcome of the utilization of communication technology and creativity as well as innovativeness. The people behind these programs are responsible for conceptualizing a medium that would attract the attention of the masses. They create programs that would aid their viewers to have fun and at the same time be enlightened about the current events that are taking place with their respective countries, especially in the field of politics. These commendable talents are supported by the power of modernity that enables them to broadcast this kind of programs and reach the TV sets in the living room of every household. The use of entertainment in relation to political engagement is considered as a non-traditional form of political communication with the people. The uniqueness of this kind of medium actually adds up to its appeal. Before, there is a distinction between news and entertainment. News programs are the ones which handle serious matters and reports the recent events in society. This kind of programs usually focuses on topics that concern the economy, status of the society, and the field of politics. On the other hand, entertainment usually involves programs that provide people a break from the hassles of everyday life. Entertainment programs are usually hosted by stand-up comediennes who tend to crack jokes or impersonate other personalities. There also entertainment programs that involve singing and dancing. Nevertheless, even the field of media is also evolving because the distinction between news and entertainment has already been transcended. At present, there are existing shows that provide entertainment by using political issues. There are programs that tackle political concerns by means of impersonating the officials in the government. In this kind of programs, the hosts of the show could make commentaries or criticisms towards politicians in a fun and light-hearted manner. This new type of entertainment program is greatly exemplified by Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live, or known simply as SNL, is a late-night comedy show. It is an American sketch comedy and variety show that runs for 90 minutes on a weekly basis. The program started on October 11, 1975 at New York City. There is a regular set of hosts who are usually the rising actors in the field of comedy. They are joined by a guest host as well as a featured musical act. The show is broadcasted live at the Studio 8H in the GE Building at New York’s Rockefeller Center (NBC Universal, n. d. ). Saturday Night Live made a huge impact in the last election in the United States. The program usually featured different politicians that were running for a position in office. These include presidential and vice presidential candidates such as Barack Obama and John McCain, among others. The impersonation of the hosts of the show with these various political figures not only provided entertainment to the general public but more importantly, it was able to enlighten the people about the personalities, platforms, and the respective stand of these candidates regarding numerous political issues. Creation of Politics Using Humor The Saturday Night Live comedy show was able to spoof numerous political candidates for the last election. However, the most noticeable and controversial among all of them was when they imitated the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. The program was able to apply the humorous nature of the show in order to focus on the political skills of Sarah Palin. In doing so, one of their hosts, Tina Fey, who has this unusual resemblance with Governor Palin, imitated her every move from the way she dresses, her manner of speaking, and mannerisms. Aside from the physical features, Tina Fey also used the famous quotes that Palin made in her interviews as well as the debate that she participated in. Being the comedian that she is, Tina Fey was able to make her imitation of Palin very hilarious. In this situation, Saturday Night Live was able to exemplify how the show could actually mix entertainment with politics. Gender, Power, Class In relation to this, the skit about Sarah Palin also focused on other important issues like gender, power, and class. This is most observable in the episode wherein Tina Fey acted as Sarah Palin together with another one of her co-hosts that imitated Hillary Clinton. In this scene, even though they were making funny remarks, the commentaries that they give actually pertain to the real issues that are taking place in the country. Both the actresses were able to point out the topic of gender wherein they said that it was time that women take key roles in the White House. They also stated that politicians should not be discriminated based upon gender, and that sexist remarks should be prevented. In terms of the idea of power, the two actresses stated that it was timely that women should actively participate in shaping the future of the United States by giving them the opportunity to be elected. The concept of intellectual class difference was also explored when they made it very obvious that Hillary Clinton knows more about politics than Sarah Palin. This is proven when the one who was imitating Clinton commented that â€Å"I do not agree with the Bush Doctrine† and Tina Fey replied in a very Palin kind of fashion that â€Å"I do not know anything about it. † Thus, through this comedy act, it is very evident that there is an intellectual disparity between these two individuals. Comedy as a Space for Critical Engagement Saturday Night Live was able to use comedy in order to criticize the weaknesses of Sarah Palin as a candidate for the vice-presidency. Pointing out the flaws of an individual is not an easy thing to do especially if it is done under the watchful eye of numerous people. Certain factors have to be taken into consideration especially the sensitivity of the person that is being scrutinized. However, by means of humor, one can easily make commentaries that would not be seen in a bad light if it is done seriously. Humorous comments allow other people to notice the criticisms made in a good natured manner. Laughter has its way of making people take things lightly regardless of whether the remark is positive or negative. This is proven in the skit involving the imitation of Palin and Clinton. The impersonator of Hillary Clinton stated that she believe that diplomacy should play an important role in U. S. policy. On the other hand, Tina Fey who portrayed the role of Sarah Palin said, â€Å"I can see Russia in my front porch. † This only shows the criticisms that people have with Palin’s lack of knowledge with foreign policy and diplomatic affairs. Saturday Night Live has the capability to attack sensitive issues and scrutinize famous and powerful individuals unlike ordinary news programs. Humor plays an important part in the ability of shows like Saturday Night Live to tackle important subject matters like the lack of capability and competency of a particular candidate to hold a seat in the White House. They could explicitly show that Sarah Palin proved that this notion is true when she participated in the Saturday Night Live. She even joined in the hilarious jokes and some of the skits, even if it involves the mockery of her own personality and capacity. The program successful achieved the objective of making its viewers take notice of the weaknesses of Sarah Palin as vice-presidential candidate by playing with her personality. The skits, jokes, and impersonation of her were essential in order for the hosts to make the public aware of the flaws of this particular candidate. Using humor was very effective in capturing the attention of the audience and making them aware of sensitive issues that cannot be easily discussed in a regular program. The people behind this entertainment show were able to incorporate the idea of having fun together with political criticisms. The efficiency of Saturday Night Live and other similar programs, as compared to the usual traditional program, is its employment of humor in their commentaries and criticisms. In relation to this, the important technique that was used by the program is the employment of satire, a literary tone that is implemented in order to make fun or ridicule a person with the intention of correcting him or her (Mali, n. d. ). As such, it could tackle important and sensitive issues especially in the political realm without being too serious about it. This genre of entertainment is an effective setting for critical engagement because it allows people to openly express how they think and feel with regard to a particular person or concern. They do not have to be too formal or to lay things nicely as they can easily say what is on their minds. Moreover, a study conducted by Nojin Kwak (2004), an assistant professor from the Department of Communication Studies in the University of Michigan, and his associates shows that entertainment programs greatly influence the political engagement of young adults. The â€Å"use of television entertainment shows, particularly late-night talk show programs,† was found to reinforce political efficacy, political trust, and political understanding among the public especially among young adults (Kwak, Wang, & Guggenheirn, 2004, p. ii). This only proves that entertainment talk shows with the same format as Saturday Night Live are an effective avenue for political engagement. Political Economic Structure of Saturday Night Live The nature of the program of Saturday Night Live that uses satire in relation to important social concerns enables it to acquire numerous viewers for the show. Television companies, like any other business organization, is also after the accumulation of profit. NBC is the television network that handles Saturday Night Live. This network aims to increase the profit of its company through the programs that they have. Television shows normally gain profit through the various commercials and advertisements of different companies that avail of the network services. These services get even more expensive when the company wants to show their ads during the primetime shows especially the high-rating ones. In this process, televisions companies gain profit from these television shows. Nevertheless, like in any other industry, NBC also has its competitors. There are quite a number of other television companies that also air similar programs like those that NBC has, but Saturday Night Live has a different approach in comedy that makes it one of the most high-rating shows in America. Entertainment Programs as a Space for Social Change Primetime programs also have a strategic advantage as compared to other shows that are aired at a different time. This is due to the fact that most people, especially the American public, are already at home during that time. After a busy day at work or in school, this is the specific part of their day wherein they could relax and do whatever they want, and this usually includes watching television. Being the case, this is the most appropriate time for them to take notice of other things aside from their everyday responsibilities. Saturday Night Live is taking advantage of the free time of these people in order to entertain them and at the same time inform them of the present situation of the country and the people that are directly involved in it. They give their viewers relaxation through laughing and making fun of other people in a good-natured manner. At the same time, they do not simply make satire comments about anything under the sun; rather, they focus on important ones that actually affect the lives of the viewers who patronize their programs. This late-night comedy show enlightens the people with regard to different issues like political matters, whether they are consciously or unconsciously aware of it. It epitomizes the very idea of learning while having fun. The new genre of entertainment programs such as Saturday Night Live is responsible for creating an innovative space for social change. This kind of shows gives one of the most important factors in social engagement, and that is the concept of awareness. It informs the general public of the pressing issues that will eventually affect their way of life. Saturday Night Live’s imitation of Governor Sarah Palin clearly proves how this program can discuss political concerns as well as the flaws of influential personalities. Thus, having this necessary knowledge can eventually aid the citizens of the country to take action. It is observable that the people indeed seriously consider the lack of political capacity that Sarah Palin has, which the show highlighted because she did not win in the election. The popularity of the Saturday Night Live increased due to the recent campaign period and election that took place. The show was able to focus on the current situation of America. Due to this, the interest of the people to get involved in political issues and participate in the exchange of thoughts as well as debates regarding this issue was heightened. Entertainment programs are a good avenue for social change because people could easily express their opinions, thoughts, feelings, and even their sentiments in this kind of setting without being afraid that they might offend other people. The freedom that they have in this kind of medium entails greater participation from the people especially for young adults, particularly during this time when communication technology is very influential. The discussions above clearly prove that entertainment is indeed an effective avenue for critical thinking, empowerment, and social change. Entertainment talk shows and comedy programs like Saturday Night Live is capable of enhancing the critical thinking of the public through the skits, jokes, and hilarious commentaries that they make. Whenever an individual watches the show, he or she becomes aware of a particular flaw of a personality, including political figures like Governor Sarah Palin. Hence, through such programs, the public is encouraged to analyze rationally why such criticism and mockery are taking place. This allows them to think beyond what these personalities are projecting and carefully study what their real intentions are, as well as their capacity in the position that they are running for. In this manner, critical engagement is already taking place because the people are exerting the effort to give attention to the particular concern the show is featuring. People are also empowered by entertainment shows because this gives them the freedom to express what they want. The hosts of the program represent the common people and their opinions and stand regarding a certain issue or a particular personality. They stand as the voice of the masses because they can explicitly express the public’s perspective on various matters. Moreover, people can always send an e-mail to these television networks in order to give their opinion and suggestions about their shows. In doing so, they are already taking part in the whole process of media awareness. Lastly, this genre of entertainment program is an effective avenue for social change. It influences people, especially young adult, to get involved with important issues like political concerns. This is due to the fact that entertainment programs enable political understanding, political efficacy, and political trust among those people who watch them. Moreover, programs under this genre provide a setting conducive for social modifications because they use the value of humor and laughing about problems that would normally drag people down. Thus, their new approach in dealing with issues makes entertainment programs an effective way to effect changes in the society. References Kwak, N. , Wang, X. , & Guggenheirn, L. (n. d. ). Laughing All The Way: The Relationship Between Television Entertainment Talk Show Viewing and Political Engagement among Young Adults. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from http://www. umich. edu/news/Releases/2004/Aug04/Kwak. pdf. Mali, T. (n. d. ). Satire. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from http://www. tnellen. com/cybereng/lit_terms/satire. html. NBC Universal. (n. d. ). Saturday Night Live. Retrieved November 25, 2008, from http://www. nbc. com/Saturday_Night_Live/about/.