Abstract

Satire is not the only form of laughter, but that specific kind of laughter arising from the unexpected downsizing of those who are considered to have more power than us. To be target of satire, something has to have power and prestige. The troubles of contemporary political satire are linked to a process that has rendered politics too weak and discredited to be worthy of satire. Appropriate target of satire can be someone or something that is still endowed with prestige and power, on the one hand, or our illusions about ourselves, on the other.