John Oliver Satire Analysis

Michael Moss does a wonderful job describing the sciences junk food companies use to get us to buy their products in his article “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food”. First Moss uses solid facts to describe how junk food companies make their food sell. Secondly he proves that he is very knowledgable about the topic of his article, and that he conducted intensive research and interviews to gain the knowledge. Lastly Moss does a good job of making the article interesting by doing things such as providing facts, dialogue, and questions to keep your attention. Moss’ use of solid facts help describe and give the reader insight on the extremes of what junk food companies will go through to sell and make their products desirable.

Satirizing Technology’s Takeover Satire is used in writing to show big problems in a humorous way. It's widely used when change in the story is so different and ridiculous that using satire language throughout the story makes it understandable and comedic. Feed by M.T Anderson is a novel that follows the story of a dystopian society after technology literally becomes a part of the people. The novel makes readers think about current technology and compare it to the possible future.

For most people, a shrug and a reminder that 1976 is but a distant memory would suffice, as marijuana has lost its stigma. For a Republican? If anyone proves it, Kasich is finished. Republicans are all about hating anything good for America, and legalized marijuana is on that list. They bust out the old talking points of the fear campaigns they love so much.

A sitcom is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, with often humorous dialogue (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Some of today's top sitcoms are Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and South Park; however, back in the 60s the top television sitcoms wereThe Andy Griffith Show, The Lucy Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Unlike modern day sitcoms, 60s sitcoms, mainly The Andy Griffith Show, used down-to-Earth comedy and moral lessons to attract viewers. The Andy Griffith Show takes place in small town Mayberry, North Carolina, where Andy Taylor (police chief) and deputy Barney Fife stop any and all crimes in a nonchalant manner.

Things Are Different Now It is interesting to see that hilarious videos could pass on more information than expected. Although the people passing the message across seem to lack ethical appeal, it was really informative. The analysis of the three videos clearly reveals that ethos, logos and pathos were all used to pass the message across.

The provided satirical article by The Onion, published in 1999, sarcastically demonstrates the falsely scientific appearing nature of today’s advertisements. The provided article comes off as relatable to the normal middle class consumer audience of the well known satirical humorous newspaper, because it is the middle class for which these advertisements are made, and also the ones most affected by these advertisements daily. Moreover, the internet’s quest for some laughing stock also contributed to the high interest in the topic of pseudoscience, and pseudoscientifically advertised products. While satisfying this thirst, the article also satirizes the use of such marketing strategies using wittingly crafted, fake, and scientific sounding terminologies,

Initially, Jonathan Rauch opens by using sarcasm to describe the huge issue of fatty foods affecting American. He explains how the issue has been brought up “not a moment too soon”

Never Cry Wolf is a complex and interesting story where many concepts are explored. Man’s relationship with nature, First Nation’s history, and Canadian history are all touched on in the movie. The effects of capitalism is also a central theme to the movie. The plot revolves mainly around Tyler, a biologist hired by the Canadian government, and Mike, an Inuit who was sent down south to go to school, and the relationship of their stories. The story is constructed in a way that shows the similarities and differences of the two stories, while also discussing the place of nature and culture in each.

The ability to parse through bullshit from politicians can be difficult, and it is not made easier by the news networks. The news has become notorious for being untrustworthy according to all sides of the political spectrum, with each point of view criticizing different networks for different reasons. This has led to an industry of satire calling out the news’ handling of stories, which includes popular programs like South Park and The Daily Show. Analyzing South Park’s and Jon Stewart’s satire shows how the news media utilizes bullshit to benefit a certain narrative and not the viewer. To begin, one episode of South Park that deals extensively in bullshit from the news is “Quest for Ratings”, which shows the boys trying to earn high ratings

When it comes to nutrition labels on food packaging, it only shows the amount of sugar in grams, never in percent. This gimmicks people into thinking that its not much sugar in the product they’re eating, because while the grams seem small, people are unaware of the actual amount of sugar placed into the product. Moving on, since the 1900s, obese rates in America have drastically increased in the 2000s. This meaning that people are starting to eat more food, with sugar they did not even know was in there. This is unfair to the people who develop diseases and illnesses, like getting obese, diabetes or cancer, because of the unknown amount of sugar placed into the food.

In the funniest publication, The Onion, the author uses satire to criticize people and expose them to their stupidity or vice, typically in politics or other recent and popular issue. Satire is used through the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule. In this mock press release from The Onion it is made to mock the release and the reasoning for the creating on MagnaSoles, which are shoe inserts. The author of this hilarious work of art writes this to criticize the concept of these shoe soles doing all the amazing things they are said to do, they are just basic shoe inserts. The author uses exaggeration and overstatements to achieve his goal of mocking the shoe soles and their release.

In both David Zinczenko’s “Don’t Blame The Eater” and “ Radley Balko’s “What You Eat is Your Business”, the argument of obesity in America is present and clear from opposing viewpoints. Both articles were written in the early 2000’s, when the popular political topic of the time was obesity and how it would be dealt by our nation in the future. While Zinczenko argues that unhealthy junk food is an unavoidable cultural factor, Balko presents the thought that the government should have no say in it’s citizens diet or eating habits. Zinczenko’s article was written with the rhetorical stratedgy of pathos in mind.

After its publication in 1961, readers of Joseph Heller's first novel Catch-22 found themselves enamored with its unique style and approach to its subject matter. People all over the United States found it hilarious, sad, and horribly offensive. They howled with laughter only to pick up the phone, wiping tears from their eyes, and read pages to friends and family. When talking about the novel, many people focus on its merit as a satirical work. However, people often seem to forget the final chapters.

The press is known to explode with news everyday, informing the people on different topics that are happening worldwide. The newest revelation is on the soda ban in New York. Websites and pages are plastered with information and headlines announcing how “Mayor Bloomberg is overreaching with N.Y.C. large soda ban” or “Banning the Big Gulp Ban”. Reporters are scrambling to join the bandwagon of criticizing or praising this mayor’s audacious decision. There are many factors that influence opinions on the matter, but one of the most popular reasons is because of the high numbers of people that are obese and overweight.

“I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it. ”-Frank A. Clark (Psychology Today). A man named Jonathan Swift saw many problems in his government and society. He realized it needed to be fixed. Swift’s strong beliefs pushed him to write satire to try and help Ireland.