Saturday Night Live: A Satirical Response to "Embracing Civility"

       Following my last blog post on the negative effects of political rhetoric, Saturday Night Live preformed a skit which enhanced my discussion on the subject by taking jabs at the rhetoric used by Fox News. Since this is such a heated topic on the current political front, I thought that I’d supplement by adding SNL’s take on the use of civil discourse in politics. My last blog post framed the question—do you think a renewal of civility could ever be achieved in reality? The answer to this question came through the use of the obvious satire employed by the SNL cast. The video is essentially a spoof of Fox News trying to tone down their political rhetoric and embrace “civility” into their network. In the beginning of the skit, Kristen Wiig (who plays Fox News host Greta Van Susteren) takes on an obvious satirical approach to the newscast attempting to “put aside heated rhetoric when discussing political viewpoints”. Right away, the notion of any restoration of civility into our society is framed as, simply, a big joke. If it only took about one day for SNL to fire a mockery against the view of “embracing civility”, my question has been answered. In reality, honest civility cannot and will not ever be attained in America. The skit continues as the cast tries to euphemize the word “job-killing” and fails horribly (and humorously) to do so. Finally, at the end of the skit, an answer to why the notion of “embracing civility” may never work in society is presumed. Fox invidiously introduces CNN’s James Carville (played by Bill Hader) and instantly, civility is diminished. James enthusiastically announces to the cast his day, which is filled with some of the primarily democratic ideologies such as the legalization of gay marriage and free x-rays under Obama’s healthcare plan. The Fox News cast, who has been stated to be conservatively biased in the past, becomes obviously agitated in reaction to each statement, suggesting that our political spectrums (and the media that employs them) may just be too polarized to ever reach a civil consensus. 

Obama Calls For a More Civil and Honest Public Discourse

            Following the Arizona shooting, much debate has transpired involving the potentially harmful effects of political rhetoric. It is not a surprise that our nation has become polarized due to increasing media attention and thus, the familiarity with political activists. In addition, the subsequent plotting of the parties against one another has become a standard. Because of this, our nation has started to shift away from honest public discourse towards that of harsh political debate centered on attacking one side of the political spectrum or the other.

            In response to the Arizona shooting, Obama took the time to speak directly on this issue, stating that our nation is in need of a healthier civic life. To Obama, a healthier civic life includes improving our democracy by listening to each other more carefully and allowing for humility. During Obama’s tribute to the victims of the shooting, he suggested, "At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized -- at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do -- it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds” (watch the video of Obama’s speech here-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztbJmXQDIGA).

              Like our text for class exclaims, learning the value of rhetoric is beneficial to improving our citizenship and our personal lives. Rhetoric and discourse also include learning the strength of being open-minded to other’s opinions and allowing for healthy debate and compromise without attacking the other person or party. As Obama agrees, a renewal of our civility can lead to an improved citizenship and nonetheless, an improved democracy. Do you think this could ever be achieved in reality?