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Performative Satire and Political Dialogue a DISSERTATION

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Performative Satire and Political Dialogue a DISSERTATION NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Prankly Speaking: Performative Satire and Political Dialogue A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Field of Performance Studies By Amber Day EVANSTON, ILLINOIS June 2007 2 © Copyright by Amber Day 2007 All Rights Reserved 3 ABSTRACT Prankly Speaking: Performative Satire and Political Dialogue Amber Day A number of new satiric forms -- or emergent genres -- have exploded in popularity almost simultaneously in recent years, all markedly political, all incorporating the real into the mimetic in striking ways, and all straddling the line between satire and serious political dialogue. This dissertation focuses on three of the most prevalent: the satiric documentary, the parodic news show, and ironic activism. These emergent genres are notable for their lack of fictionalized material and impersonations, relying instead on deconstructions of real news events, improvisational pranks, and ambushes of public figures. All share a uniquely performative form of parody and satire that injects the satirist’s body into the traditional political world, as he or she physically engages, interrogates, and interacts with the real. These forms have generated strong affective communities around them, capturing the interest of many in a way that organized politics has been failing to do, as viewers look to the parodists to voice their opinions within the public arena. My analysis involves three components: a historical review that traces how each genre has developed out of earlier forms; a performance analysis of all aspects of the mise en scène, including the interactions between satirist and target, and the narrative framing of the subsequent text; and a discourse analysis that examines how the texts are situated within public debate, how they are framed by other media, and how they address potential spectators. 4 The dissertation draws on the idea of “counterpublics” as a means of examining the way these satirists, to different degrees, build the feeling of community in opposition, using their work as focal points for political identification and as platforms for dialogue within the larger public sphere. Often seen as detached from the problems it critiques and from any real desire for change, political satire is rarely treated as an example of substantive political speech. Theorists of the public sphere have similarly tended to focus on “rational” political debate, ignoring discursive engagement in other registers. This study, however, aims to examine these texts as instances of political discourse, and to take seriously their contributions to public dialogue. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a great deal of gratitude to my advisor, Prof. Susan Manning, who took me under her wing when I was in need of mentorship. She supplied both theoretical and pragmatic guidance, along with a wealth of enthusiasm to keep me afloat. I am also indebted to Prof. Tracy Davis and Prof. Jeffrey Sconce for their patient and thorough consultation, providing both insight and encouragement at every stage along the way. Additionaly, Prof. Robert Hariman and Prof. Chuck Kleinhans were kind enough to read particular chapters and offer their invaluable expertise. Thanks also to members of the Dissertation Writing Group, particularly Ann Folino White, Stefka Mihaylova, Jesse Njus, Dan Smith, and Christina McMahon, whose detailed feedback was of inestimable importance to me. I am also extremely thankful for the expert assistance of Alan Shefsky, who is the man with all the answers all the time, in addition to being a valued friend. My research was made possible through my employment with the Center for Global Culture and Communication at Northwestern. In particular, I am grateful to the Center’s director, Prof. Dilip Gaonkar, for his generosity, understanding, and good humor. I would also like to thank my friends and family, particularly my parents, Rhona and Darrell Day, as well as my academic and emotional confidants, Jyoti Argade, Lea Pinsky, Caro d’Offay, Jessica Greenberg, Naomi Ball, and Ioana Szeman. Finally, the most important thanks goes to my partner Patrick McEvoy, who not only brainstormed, proofread and formatted at a moment’s notice, but who also provided unending enthusiasm, support, patience, and love. Nobody is more fun to argue about grammar with than him. Thank you. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: Introduction . 7 The Debates . 16 Chapter Outline . 31 Chapter Two: And Now….The News? Mimesis and the Real in Parodic Television Journalism . 34 Predecessors . 37 Contemporary Broadcasting . 45 The Programs . 47 Mimesis and The Real . 50 Improvisation, Transcontextualization, and Dialogic Inquiry . 63 Sliding into Punditry . 69 Cynicism and Engagement . 79 Conclusion . 91 Chapter Three: Heroes and Villains: Satiric Documentarians and Public Debate . 94 The Documentary Tradition and Guerrilla Theatre Collide . 104 Fool and Preacher: Dual Personas in the Satiric Documentary . 118 Filmmakers as Public Figures . 124 Nurturing Counterpublics . 128 Chapter Four: Irony in Activism . 145 Mass-Mediated Activism . 152 The Contemporary Background . 158 Culture-Jamming . 162 The Identity-Nab . 169 Invisible Theatre and Political Simulacra . 180 Ironic Authenticity . 187 Conclusion . 195 Works Cited . 199 7 Chapter One Introduction While voter apathy may be as high as ever, interest in traditional news coverage on the wane, and professional political dialogue merely a repetition of partisan talking-points, there is nevertheless a renaissance taking place in the realm of political satire. Turn on the television in any number of countries around the world and you are bound to find at least one highly topical news-parody show providing its own take on contemporary events. A trip to the multiplex offers you a slew of fiercly political documentaries which embody a striking blend of polemic and satire. Meanwhile, a multitude of activist groups are looking to capture your attention by staging elaborately ironic stunts or satirically impersonating their enemies. The political discourse taking place in the satiric register currently appears far more vibrant than any of the traditional outlets for serious political dialogue. And it is not something that has gone unnoticed. In recent years, political satire has also been attracting renewed attention, as various media from hard news to talk shows speculate about the impact of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 on the presidential election, loudly bemoan the rumor that American youth get more information from fake news programs like the Daily Show than “legitimate” newscasts, and include prankster satirists in their roster of talking-heads. Whether or not satire has become verifiably more “popular,” satiric media texts have become a part of (and a preoccupation of) mainstream political coverage, thereby making satirists legitimate players in serious political dialogue. A number of new forms -- or emergent genres -- seem to have exploded in popularity almost simultaneously, all markedly political, all incorporating the real into the mimetic in 8 striking ways and all straddling the line between satire and serious political dialogue. This dissertation focuses on three of the most prevalent: the satiric documentary, the parodic news show, and ironic, media-savvy activisms. These emergent genres are notable for their relative lack of fictionalized material and impersonations, relying instead on deconstructions of real news events, improvisational pranks, and ambushes of public figures. They thereby cultivate a blurring of the traditional categories of news and entertainment, art and activism, satire and political dialogue. The question is, why? What does this simultaneous emergence tell us about contemporary media? Political dialogue? Publics and counterpublics? Notably, these forms have generated very strong affective communities around them, capturing the interest of many in a way that organized politics has been failing to do, a factor that I believe makes answering these questions particularly important. Throughout what follows, I draw on the terms “irony,” “satire,” and “parody.” While the documentaries can be described, for the most part, as “satiric,” the fake news programs as “parodic,” and the activist stunts as “ironic,” I believe that all three modes overlap to a significant degree. I have brought them together precisely because I see them as collectively making up the larger phenomenon I am describing. Wherever appropriate, I do offer definitions of the precise mode I am referring to, but I also intentionally allow these concepts to bleed into one another to some extent. My interest in focusing on satire, parody, and irony has less to do with formalism or a dissection of aesthetics, but is, rather, motivated by a desire to analyze the satiric/ironic/parodic register as a particular discursive strategy within the context of the larger media playing field. Similarly, while it would be possible to write a book about any one of the individual films, television programs, or activist groups profiled here (and, in a few cases, theorists already have), my intention is to provide a broader overview of the historical moment, 9 connecting the dots between each example to describe and analyze a larger shift in both entertainment and political dialogue. In addition, I flesh out a theory of “performative satire” that seeks to both supplement and critique existing theories of the satiric mode. While I argue against theories of satire
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