[466 Social] Satire Faces Growing Controversy Over Ethical Boundaries in Comedy
Saturday Night Live (SNL) Korea aired satirical gags by depicting Korean novelist Han Kang and NewJeans member Hani. Viewers’ positions on this are divided. SNL used the characteristics of a program aired on an OTT media service platform called Coupang Play to perform a black comedy that uses heavy topics that cannot be covered by public broadcasts and the dark aspects of society as the subject of gag.
As the line of satire becomes increasingly blurred, the line with ridicule is emerging as a clue to the controversy. Therefore, The Dongguk Post would like to introduce the situation of SNL’s satire and ridicule at the center of the current controversy, reflect on the reactions of various viewers to this in depth, and suggest opinions on the satire ceiling that program producers should have to overcome the current controversy.
The difference between satire and mockery in the mass media
Black comedy originally refers to humor that exaggerates or humorously satirizes dark and politically incorrect subjects such as brutality, absurdity, self-destruction, despair, and death. Black comedy usually deals with extreme or socially or morally problematic cases. The satire used in such black comedy is a method of criticizing something and social issues with humor rather than directly. This is a common expression that has been used since ancient times in the field of dealing with the irrationality and inequality of society, and is often produced to relieve the sense of deprivation of the socially underprivileged and minorities. On the other hand, in the case of satire and ridicule that can obscure its boundaries, it can be said to be intended to ridicule or look down on others, and unlike satire, it is only a one-dimensional means of teasing, and does not aim to convey a meaningful message.
Ridicule beyond satire, meaningless black comedy
In recent years, people are starting to feel that black comedies that are aired through various platforms, such as SNL, are becoming more of a mockery than satire. There were opinions that the episode that ridiculed Han Kang and Hani on the audit of the state affairs with an inarticulate Korean pronunciation, which caused laughter, were not humor that ridiculed the case of social or moral problems, but meaningless mockery.
In the episode that is said to have mocked Han Kang, the comedian playing Han Kang appeared in makeup for a specific description, exaggerating her unique pronunciation, facial expressions, and gestures, and the audience burstinto laughter. In addition, in the episode dealing with the audit of the state affairs of Hani, a scene that mimicked the pronunciation of her was aired, prompting voices to call for the reorganization of the SNL program’s progress.
Viewers opinions on these episodes were conflicted, and it lead to controversy, sparking the debate regarding the line when it comes to black comedy.
Should black comedy be restricted?
Opinions were divided but there also were many viewers who raised their voices against the critisicm. According to them, there is no right to prevent freedom of expression of broadcasting by using speculation of ridicule as a weapon, and the right to decide the freedom of satire and its object lies with the broadcaster. In addition, since watching programs that are mainly directed by black comedies through satire such as SNL is also due to individual choice, opinions have been raised that each viewer can make a choice that suits their thoughts. Viewers who have a positive perception of the program and feel fun can watch it, and on the contrary, viewers who feel uncomfortable can choose not to watch the program.
Freedom of expression is a right that is guaranteed to all of us. This leads to the conclusion that there are both the freedom to express discomfort over satirical episodes that have sparked controversy over mockery and the freedom to freely satirize certain issues. However, since it is possible to file a complaint with defamation if the person concerned suffers substantial damage due to satire, it should be positioned as an important attitude for everyone to keep the line of satire rather than being buried in the right of freedom of expression.
Student’s opinions on this matter
The Dongguk Post conducted an interview with a student to understand more detailed opinions of the public on the current issue in depth. Park Cheon-jun (Department of Media Communication) said, “I used media and felt that the line between satire and mockery was ambiguous, especially in SNL or political news. I felt that satire and mockery were not clearly distinguished, so it was difficult for me to clearly distinguish between them. Taking SNL as an example, I have described many celebrities and politicians. In particular, I have been making people laugh by portraying the presidents and satirizing them, which everyone thinks is satire, but I think many people are sensitive about this writer-related controversy because they are relatively less recognized.” Furthermore, he added his opinion on the controversy whether it is ridicule or freedom of expression, “Recently, there have been conflicting opinions on whether it is ridicule or freedom of expression in the media, but to what extent satire is freedom of expression. However, I think it is ambiguous to set the limit level. It is freedom of expression to satirize others, especially public figures, but if the satire causes great damage or discomfort to the person, I think it is not satire. It is okay to make the person’s actions, speech and motions when satirizing, but to express the person’s appearance in a funny way is mockery.”
In addition, regarding the attitude that media producers should have or viewers should have in the midst of the controversy arising from the conflict of opinions of viewers, he said, “In the case of media producers, I think they should be more careful when producing their own product because it can be accessed by many people. The content you produce can be freely made in the period of one’s rights, but if the production damages others, it violates the rights of others.
Lastly, he told The Dongguk Post that “People should be more careful when producing their own product because it can affect many people. In the case of viewers, since you are a consumer of the production, I think you should evaluate the product objectively. If you think that you crossed the line while consuming the product, not satire, I think you need to raise a problem without consuming it. If you consume the product without a critical perspective, you can secondary harm the production if there is a victim of satire.”
Currently, there are debated going on in Korea regarding the line between plain mockery and satire in black comedy. What is your opinion? Do you think the criticism is valid for the controversial SNL episodes?