Knowledge is Power!

I was listening to NPR today and it was interesting the things they discussed about politics. I listened to All Things Considered and they were talking about how people were connected to current issues. The thing that stood out most to me was when they were talking about SNL and other media that creates parody of the debates and candidates. They opened up the phones to listeners to discuss how media is shaping people's opinions. A listener called in and pointed out that the parodies were not funny unless you knew about the original. She explained that some witty comments were often missed because people hadn't seen the debate or didn't go to the rally.

This was interesting to me because I think programs like SNL can be extremely influential both ways. I have heard people express concerns about how the SNL skits can be ruining the politicians' image because they just make fun and present important, professional issues as silly and insignificant. I think to a certain extent this could be true if people choose to be ignorant. If viewers are only laughing because everyone else is laughing then it's their own fault that they don't understand the issues.

For me, when I saw the skits, they were only funny if I saw the thing they were creating their parody from. There were a couple skits that I saw before I saw the actual media clip. I watched the SNL version of the Couric/Palin interview. As I watched I didn't understand what was so funny about it. This skit encouraged me to look at the real thing. I looked up the real interview and then went back to the skit. It made so much more sense because I was informed. I think these skits are more encouraging than distructive. They encourage the public to be involved and informed so they can understand the humor.

I think this could be a great lesson for the classroom. The teacher could teach about the importance of information and knowledge. They could take an everyday task or element and ask the class to tell her/him about it. After the class explanation, the teacher could ask why it is important to know about the specific element. The class could engage in a discussion about the element's uses and maybe other things that are important to know how to use. I think the main lesson that should be taught is to seek out information. Students should walk away knowing how to form their own informed opinions based on facts not what the crowd is doing.


Need to know the news to understand the satire