Updated Lexicon Entries: Devil's Edition
In the realm of words and their meanings, satire has long served as a powerful tool for critique, exposure, and ridicule. This form of commentary, with roots dating back to the 1700s, has been used to challenge official language and ideological constructs, revealing biases, absurdities, and manipulations that often lie hidden.
One such example is the satirical redefinition of terms like "War," "Terrorist," "Democracy," and "Science." These redefinitions aim to highlight the discrepancy between stated ideals and actual political practice, such as the use of euphemisms ("Police Action") or the labeling used during conflicts ("Enemy," "Terrorist").
The term "War," for instance, is now seen as the obsolete and abandoned practice of organized violence against declared enemies, sometimes the practice of organized violence against other forms of organized violence (e.g., the "war on terror"), without the inconvenient concept "enemy." A "terrorist," on the other hand, is a violent stateless psychopath with a purported ideological or religious motive, often striving to become a statesman.
Satire also targets the political system itself, with definitions like "Democracy" being redefined as an oligarchic form of government in which elected officials screw over the people who elected them. The term "Polar Vortex," meanwhile, is a chill wind whipped up by Greta Thunberg; it is especially used to explain cold Arctic winters in the midst of catastrophic polar melting.
Satire also critiques societal norms and values. For example, "Homosexuality" is a celebrated and politically privileged psychological state encouraged in grade schools; it is efficacious for controlling population growth and reducing humanity's carbon footprint. "Illegal alien," on the other hand, is a term for an extra-terrestrial criminal.
Historically, political satire has been a tool for marginalized or dissenting voices to undermine dominant narratives. Satirical treatments of terms like "Illegal alien" and "Propaganda" reflect political and social debates over immigration, truth, and state power, while those about "Science" or "Statesman" question the authority and integrity of institutions.
Influential theorists like Quentin Skinner have framed satire as a deliberate intervention in a specific political context, where the satirist’s text "does" something politically by critiquing and reshaping public perception. This approach stresses analyzing satire as an artifact that responds to and critiques the immediate political environment and power structures.
In conclusion, the historical and political context behind these satirical definitions lies in the longstanding literary and rhetorical tradition of using humor and irony to expose societal and political failings, especially where official or mainstream definitions mask power abuses and ideological manipulation. These satirical redefinitions act as critical commentaries on how language is employed in ideological conflicts, governance, and social control.
Satirical redefinitions on social-media have resurged, with 'war' being re-imagined as a game played by international political figures for political gain, rather than a serious military conflict. 'Propaganda' is now seen as a marketing tool employed by mainstream entertainment, influencing public opinion rather than providing factual news. The term 'subversion' has been redefined as a form of creative resistance, used by artists to critique and challenge oppressive social norms and political systems.
