Satire and the Public Institution

At the seminary that I attend, I have been a part of many conversations regarding the role of satirical writing. It began at the beginning of the school year when one of the first pieces of seminary literature that I picked up was the school's satirical newspaper. The front page article was written with, what felt like, edginess towards the seminary's current predicaments. It called out key concepts of the seminaries identity and questioned their validity. All in all, the article stung.

It made me wonder, what is the role of satire in a public institution? I think of the modern day popular satirists, namely John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. How can their approach work so well, and this one just hurt? Through conversations with friends, we determined that good satirical writing stems from a place of respect, commitment, and love. This article attacking identity, did not. Therefore, it leaves a jarring discontent among those who care for the institution.

Since that article, two more issues have this satirical newspaper have come out. One issue sought to name an issue on campus by "playfully" raising a "hypothetical" situation that called out the character of the student classes....comments are left for the writer of that article only...

The current issue, is not as biting as the last two, but still calls out the character of people around campus in undeserving ways. This satirical newspaper has been distributed everywhere and is one of the first things that visitors pick up--like I did at the beginning of the school year. From my personal opinion, newspapers such as this instill a lack of trust and division in community. It is an unhealthy medium to release anxiety and frustration that does not promote healthy communication.

I'd be interested to hear more stories of how satirical writing is utilized in other institutions and venues. Is it ever appropriate and healthy? Does prolonged usage damage community in the long run? Can satire be effective for talking about tough issues of pain and hurt effectively?