Coming into this issue, I thought, “OK, Caitlin. Now is your time to shine. Lead this section as the funniest satire section in all of college media!”
But the more I thought about it, the more I started to wonder… What is comedy, anyway? What exactly is satire, and why is it funny? You write articles under certain assumptions you believe are held in common. You write things that you hope everyone will find funny, or at least strike some particular chord with the people. You try not to be too niche or write jokes that only make sense to a small group of people.
We are all complex individuals who find meaning within a vast spectrum of senses, actions, and emotions. No two human beings are alike, and with that being true, how do you write satire that appeals to a large group of people? How do you write to your readers if what they find funny and what you find funny are completely different?
The pursuit of satire is surely a more daunting endeavor than I had originally thought. In order to find real comedy, we have to search for the axiom of the human condition. What is one singular experience all humans have in common? What is one truth which all humans hold as absolute? Only once we uncover the deepest truths of the human experience will we understand what satire truly is. Only then will we reach the height of comedy.
