Off the Grid

I also spent a huge chunk of my childhood around a guy who regularly wears a security beanie, hoping to occasionally trick bystanders in parks and museums. From birth, this man in particular further molded me into a person that speaks sarcastically more than earnestly. Stemming from this overwhelming cultural and familial influence, snarky humor remains near and dear to my heart—I can’t really go a day without a snide remark or smartass comment.

 

In addition to personal relevance, satire has influenced me intellectually over the last few years in college. When my schedule started to pile up with classes, clubs, and professional events, I did as many other college freshmen have done: I turned to Jon Stewart as my main [read: only] source of news. That’s not to say I haven’t diversified my news diet over time though, as I’ve also been watching Last Week Tonight pretty religiously since its release last year. Furthermore, in my efforts to nab a post-graduation job this year, I committed to skimming headlines on the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News for 7-8 minutes before every interview. And while two comedy programs and the occasional business headline doesn’t sound like the beefiest information diet, this hasn’t prevented me from feeling relatively informed on current events. As I reflect on this more, I’ve begun to ask myself: is this ok?

 

In other words, is my decision to consume mostly satirical news irresponsible? Am I spoon-feeding myself this content as an alternative to network news because it's entertaining and easy to digest? Am I exposing myself to caricatured, oversimplifications of current events while convincing myself that I don’t need to watch CNN or BBC to remain relatively informed? I started asking myself these questions recently after seeing headlines like these:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a natural cynic, I’ve become more skeptical of this “satirical-news-is-ironically-more-informative-than-mainstream-news” view as it has picked up steam and entered the realm of mainstream opinions. But does this position hold any validity? When brainstorming in class, my inner monologue halted at that question. There it is. That’s the question I want to explore.