America is a society where political polarization is at a high in the midst of a media crisis. The distrust in media has grown exponentially in light of the Trump presidency — false statements slandering the integrity of journalism create doubt among Americans, which is concerning considering these malicious attacks are coming from our commander in chief himself. How do you survive a volatile society of polarization when you stand facing a different perspective? Most of us turned to satire, and we still cope in that way today. The thing is that although satire delivered us temporary relief from anxiety, it can also make matters worse.
Political satirical news programs ("The Late Show," "SNL," "John Oliver," etc.), often dismissed as fun late-night entertainment, can have real and lasting effects on our political opinions. The norm is to watch political satire that matches our pre-existing attitudes — liberal or conservative. The issue is that satirical news can negatively reinforce our attitudes towards the opposite political party. If liberal satire portrays conservatives as "ignorant rednecks," eventually the joke becomes ingrained into our attitudes and preconceived notions towards the other party. Doesn't this, ultimately, cause more divide than conversation?
Disagreeing with someone's political views is a healthy, integral piece of the democratic system, but hating them is only bound to lead to chaos and alienation. We must encourage a cohesive society that encourages discussion without biases held against each other. The great irony of our media crisis is that we know we are a divided society, only we don't recognize that we are also part of the problem.
