Satire and its constraints: Case studies from Australia, Japan, and the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

AbstractSatire’s critical bite exposes it more often than other forms of humor to various kinds of restraint or control. While most studies of satire focus on its formal censorship (by editorial, legal or political decision), others acknowledge the additional role of internalized constraints (such as personal humor tastes and cultural conventions) that influence satirists in their creative work (self-censorship). This paper argues that constraints on satire (and humor generally) are not limited to those summed up as censorship and self-censorship and that examining reactions that occur after the initial success of a published satire helps to identify a wider range applying to satire and humor in different cultures and times. Focusing on reception rather than creation, therefore, this paper looks at specific cases of successfully published satire that subsequently stirred expressions of public offence in contemporary Australia, Japan, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). A distinction is drawn between reactions stemming from personal and cultural constraints and opposition shaped by economic and politico-legal forces and interactions between the two are also considered. Moderators of the backlash effect also include the medium of communication and some stylistic features of satire.