Satire's Strength is Honesty
A recent undertaking to determine the value of Medium as a literary platform, more
accurately to prove my belief that it has no value, I started Christian Pollution, a
publication critical of Christians since they are topic-rich with issues. The publication takes an adversarial
stance with Christians, pointing to their many flaws with hyperbolic, harsh language reinforced with facts to force
Christian readers to the point. This use of sarcasm and vehemence worked as intended, drawing the enemy to the kill
zone, but the publication felt too one-dimensional, and I added friend and author Terry Trueman, who also
enjoys revealing Christian flaws. This added some humor and more perspectives, but still desiring to draw another
readership, I decided to go with an alter ego, Pastor Christian T. Roll. Knowing the inability of many social media users
to distinguish satire from earnest writing gave birth to his name, which I felt clearly reflected his satirical
nature. If the play on the name were not enough, the bizarre doll as the character should have provided the clue to
the parody.
Pastor Christian T. Roll
You heathen fudgers are all part of the lying atheist, homosexual, feminazi, communist agenda to destroy America
and Christianity!
Satire's defining confounds many readers for not understanding the device. Judging from the reactions, some believe
satire is bad comedy without meaning.
Others seem to consider satire useless or dishonest, albeit mostly those targeted, which raises many other questions,
most notably satire's value.

The creationist, alt-right, bigoted, conspiracy theorist pastor formed somewhere between National Lampoon and Mad
Magazine's inspiration. Already proving successful, the character accrued thousands of views in less than sixty days
and continues growing popular. To date, the most successful article, The Truth about Alexandria Ocasio Cortez racked up
nearly six thousand reads alone and continues to produce readership. The Christian Pollution performs well, owing
much to Christian T. Roll and non-pseudonym satirical stories, such as The Christian Story of Creation and
Dinosaurs, also attracting thousands of readers. Though too early in the publication’s life to
determine Medium’s value, I admit the growth looks promising, and eating a large bowl of crow may be in my future.
While waiting to see the outcome, I thought the experiment warranted a discussion of satire.
Critics of satire tend to view the writing as low-brow and unworthy of serious consideration, but this view, though
held by many people, seems to lack understanding of the purpose and benefit. Some topics or issues invite satire as
the only means of criticism because of their inability to be questioned due to social power dynamics. In places with
authoritarian governments, satirists breach censorship with social justice concerns, such as Nigerian-based blog
Punacracy, which draws
attention to corruption and authoritarian issues both nationally and globally.
Here in the US, satire serves the same function and provides a necessary tool for Christian
Pollution since Christians dominate the US, holding a self-perception that lacks a critical view.
(That is an understatement.) The enormous Christian population doesn’t prevent but tends to ignore criticism deemed
offensive, believing themselves above reproach despite forcing their offensive worldview into politics and
lawmaking. How do you tell someone they are oppressive when they believe they are good Christians with all the
answers, including salvation? Even more intriguing, how do you show them they suffer oppression when indoctrinated
otherwise? Satire hammers these answers, forcing a realistic self-perception with sarcasm, hyperbole,
farfetchedness, and irony.
Only by pulling people outside their bubble and forcing a view of their behavior and hypocrisy's reality can dominant
groups like Christians be reached. Satire has served this purpose throughout history dating back to ancient Greece,
continuing through Voltaire, Swift, and Twain.
While rational, civil discourse seems more appropriate for reaching large groups, these forms of argument often fail,
no matter how well written. They lack the emotional sharpness to pierce generations of entitlement and ignorance.
When All in the
Family was about to air, CBS balked, wanting to use a milder episode to ease the protagonist, Archie
Bunker, onto American viewers. Producer, Norman Lear, fought this decision, wanting the audience to get the full
flavor of the Bunker character. Even for 1971, the ravings of Bunker would harshly thunder as reported
by Ronald Brownstein in the Atlantic,
Within minutes, Archie is raging against “your spics and your spades”; complaining about “Hebes” and “Black
beauties”; calling Edith a “silly dingbat” and telling her to “stifle” herself; and describing Mike as a “dumb
Polack” and “the laziest white man I’ve ever seen”.
By CBS Television - eBay item photo front photo back, Public Domain
All In The Family radically shifted television in a new meaningful light and gave Hollywood the green light
for new shows that would continue challenging viewership with meaning and social issue awareness. For many
Americans, Archie Bunker presented a disturbing mirror of uncomfortable flaws. Still, others saw Bunker as the
persona non grata reviled for possibly becoming or associating with the undesirable.
Not all fans of All In The Family saw the satire of Bunker and internalized the message beneficially. Some
saw Bunker as the hero because they saw themselves in Bunker, and that character gave them license to continue their
bigotry. Such is the nature of good satire for treading a thin line of realness crossed easily by readers and
viewers. These failures to reach an audience are expected.
The Christian T. Roll character produced the anticipated confusion with reality disclosed in reader comments, but the
reader volume reflected satire's audience reach. Many people desire a disclaimer placed on satire for not wanting
people to be confused, but doing so degrades the reading value by altering the perception of the work before
reading. I rejected the disclaimer or even a tag on the story saying "satire," believing readers who grasp the
satirical nature are better for it, having not been spoon-fed thought.
Perhaps the most potent element in satire is honesty. Satirists like Voltaire and Mark Twain earned remembrance for
not simply writing thought-provoking stories but for revealing inequality and corruption. While good and evil often
blur, most apparently in satire, they do exist. Perhaps the best satire forms in the truth that elucidates social
justice issues. Archie Bunker resonated with the bigotry and racism many Americans reflected in their daily life,
and that honesty drove change not just in television but in culture. Anything other than invoking an honest view
forms either slander or propaganda, both of which are dishonest and exploitative.
Pastor Christian T. Roll Now Appears on this site since September 1, 2022.
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