Letter from the Humor Editor: Satire in the Satirical Age

It’s no secret that America is more divided than ever. While peaceful Thanksgiving dinners were the first to fall, satire is the latest victim of polarization. 

Journalist Henry Mencken once said democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. For a country currently dealing with so-called “electile dysfunction,” we sure are getting it quite hard at the moment. The difference between real news and satire is often the date of publication. This unfortunate reality is bad for the average person who enjoys living under a functioning government, but it’s really bad for satirists who depend on their writing being at least a little crazier than reality. Absurdity inflation is real.

On the other hand, there has never been a better time to engage with satire. In online echo chambers, vulnerability and genuine curiosity are frowned upon. Ironically, humorous spaces remain as the only places where sincerity remains. We are more willing to subconsciously reexamine our beliefs when our ideological opponents offer humor rather than bitterness. 

So, I invite all readers of the humor section to disagree with our satire. We offer our work to the public not because we want to make jabs, but because we want to begin a conversation. My goal as the managing editor will always be to open the door to a broad range of ideas and make the humor section the agora of open conversation that we sorely lack. Laughing is optional, but encouraged.

Garrett Khatchaturian ’28, Vol. 269 Humor Managing Editor

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