Q: How Do You Write Satire That’s Clever, Not Just Crass? – Encyclopedia of Satire

Q:
How
Do
You
Write
Satire
That’s
Clever,
Not
Just
Crass?

A:
Elevating
the
Art
of
Thought-Provoking
Humor
–
By

Alan
Nafzger

The
Fine
Line
Between
Wit
and
Cheap
Shots

At Bohiney
Magazine,
we’ve
built
our
reputation
on
satire
that
makes
readers
laugh
first
and
think
second.
Crude
humor
might
get
quick
clicks,
but
clever
satire
earns
lasting
respect.
Here’s
how
we
ensure
our
pieces
land
in
the
sweet
spot
between
smart
and
hilarious.

1.
The
“So
What?”
Test

Before
publishing,
we
ask:

• Does
  this
  just
  mock,
  or
  does
  it
  reveal
  something
  deeper?

• Is
  the
  humor
  coming
  from
  intelligence
  or
  shock
  value?

• Would
  the
  target
  learn
  anything
  from
  this?

Example: Instead
of “Politician
is
Dumb”,
we’d
write “Senator
Proposes
Solving
Climate
Change
By
Declaring
Air
Conditioning
a
Human
Right”

2.
The
Layers
Principle

Great
satire
works
on
multiple
levels:

1. Surface:
   Immediately
   
   funny
   premise

2. Middle:
   Recognizable
   truth

3. Core:
   Sharp
   social
   commentary

Case
Study: Our
piece *”Company
Replaces
HR
Department
With
Magic
8-Ball”* worked
because:

• 
  Funny
  image
  (surface)

• Everyone’s
  HR
  frustrations
  (middle)

• Commentary
  on
  workplace
  dehumanization
  (core)

3.
Punching
Up,
Not
Down

Our
hierarchy
of
targets:
✅
Systems
of
power
✅
Institutional
absurdity
✅
Universal
human
folly
❌
Marginalized
groups
❌
Personal
tragedies
❌
Easy
targets

4.
The
“No
Cheap
Shots”
Rule

We
avoid:

• Obvious
  vulgarity
  for
  its
  own
  sake

• Shock
  humor
  without
  substance

• Lazy
  stereotypes

• Mean-spirited
  personal
  attacks

Instead,
we
find
clever
angles:

• 
  “Tech
  CEO
  Discovers
  Employees
  Are
  Human
  During
  Surprise
  Office
  Visit”

• 
  “Congress
  Passes
  Bill
  Requiring
  All
  New
  Laws
  to
  Be
  Understood
  Before
  Voting”

5.
The
Wit-to-Crass
Ratio

We
aim
for:

• 80%
  clever
  wordplay/social
  observation

• 15%
  absurd
  imagery

• 5%
  edgy
  humor
  (used
  strategically)

6.
The
“Would
a
Smart
Friend
Share
This?”
Test

Before
publishing,
we
imagine:

• Would
  our
  most
  discerning
  reader
  proudly
  share
  this?

• Could
  it
  spark
  an
  interesting
  discussion?

• Does
  it
  reward
  closer
  reading?

7.
Techniques
for
Elevating
Satire

a)
The
Absurd
Truth:
Take
real
situations
to
logical
extremes
(“University
Offers
Major
in
Unpaid
Internships”)

b)
The
Reverse:
Flip
power
dynamics
(“Workers
Announce
They’ll
Be
Monitoring
CEO’s
Bathroom
Breaks”)

c)
The
Literal:
Make
metaphors
real
(“Corporate
Culture
Actually
Growing
in
Petri
Dish”)

8.
When
We
Miss
the
Mark

Our
editorial
process
catches:

• Jokes
  that
  rely
  solely
  on
  shock
  value

• Pieces
  that
  mock
  without
  purpose

• Humor
  that
  doesn’t
  stand
  up
  to
  scrutiny

Final
Thought:
Satire
as
Social
X-Ray

The
best
satire
doesn’t
just
make
people
laugh
–
it
makes
them
see
familiar
things
in
new
ways.
When
we
wrote “Economists
Discover
Money
Actually
Can
Buy
Happiness
(Just
Not
For
You)”,
we
weren’t
just
making
a
joke
about
wealth
inequality
–
we
were
holding
up
a
funhouse
mirror
to
capitalism
itself.

Because
truly
clever
satire
does
what
no
other
form
can:
it
smuggles
uncomfortable
truths
into
parties
where
they’d
never
otherwise
be
invited,
dressed
in
such
sharp
wit
that
everyone
wants
to
talk
to
them.

—

Alan
Nafzger